Undercover Operation
by ankaz123
Summary: PC Millie Brown is chosen for her first undercover operation. Her task? To infilrate an illegal Polish arms racket. However she wasn't expecting another Pole to be helping out. Plenty of heavy Malliness throughout. Please read & review!
1. Chapter 1

Undercover Operation

**I know that I havent updated or published anything recently. But lately I've returned to reading Mallie fics….so please enjoy and review! **

Chapter 1:

Millie sighed wearily as she rubbed the Velcro on her vest closed, exhaling loudly as she brushed down her hair with her sweaty palms. The humidity of summer had become Millie's new enemy. Her ginger didn't seem to sit flat and the thick layers of her uniform were simply cruel to her suffocating skin. She paused to glance at herself in the small mirror in the locker room. Her normally fair skin had developed a red tinge on her cheeks and Millie looked like a mad scientist with her frizzy orange hair, Millie let a small smile escape, she looked absolutely ridiculous, but she couldn't do anything to help it, the heat of summer always caught her body off guard. Her only consolation was that all the other uniformed officers were suffering exactly the same. She closed her locker and left the room, holding her cap with her right hand as she walked down the hall towards the cafeteria. As she walked inside, a cool rush of air washed over her hot face. Millie couldn't help but grin as the air conditioning worked quickly to relive her discomfort. She didn't know what was worse, the sub-zero temperatures of winter or the stifling heat of summer.

Putting her temperature woes to the back of her mind, Millie glanced around the food hall, until her eyes locked onto her target. She walked up to her colleague and good friend, PC Mel Ryder, who was sitting with another one of Millie's good friends, PC Ben Gayle.

"Slacking off are we?" Millie laughed as she sat down with her friends.

"Well this is the only place in the station with proper with air conditioning" Ben explained, greeting Millie with a warm smile.

"Unless you count CID upstairs" Mel added, "but I don't think they would be too happy with a couple of sweltering PC's hanging around".

Millie laughed and nodded in agreement "yeah, I don't think they would be too happy with us interrupting their _very _important work"

Ben chuckled "Plus we are hiding out here, hoping to escape Smithy- don't want to get the dreaded midday shift. I'm not in the mood to be chasing misbehaving teens on the Canley estate, not in this heat".

Millie giggled "well luckily I've already secured myself the morning shift- speaking of, where is Nate? We need to leave now".

"Last I saw of pretty boy, he couldn't pull himself away from the mirror in the boys change room"

Millie grinned and stood from her chair, "alright, well I better go see if I can pull him away- I never saw him as much of a Miss Universe contestant anyway".

Both Mel and Ben just laughed as Millie waved them goodbye and left the cafeteria. A wave of hot air hit her square in the face, Millie couldn't but wince slightly, she had just gotten used to the cool atmosphere of the lunch room. She made her way to the change room and paused.

Should she go in? Millie was never the confident one, she thought it both awkward and rude to just enter the male room, however, a quick glance at her watch changed her mind as she pushed the door open.

"Nate!" she groaned as she pushed the door. "We're going to be late!"

Instead of finding Nate, she came face to face with another man. Shirtless. She was looking directly into the eyes of DS Max Carter.

"Sorry" Millie gasped immediately, averting her eyes to the ground. She felt a pang of embarrassment in her stomach and she could feel her already pink cheeks turning an even brighter shade of crimson. But for some reason, she kept the door open and remained standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"It's alright" she heard Max murmur. She couldn't build up the courage to meet his eyes. Ever since her kidnapping, she had avoided Max. Sure, they had never really worked together before, but the kidnapping just made her feel even more anxious and weird around the man. Her stomach twisted itself into knots whenever he was around her.

"I'm looking for Nate" Millie explained softly, her eyes slowly rising. "You haven't seen him, have you?" she asked timidly, her eyes couldn't help but take in his features, his shirtless body, sure he didn't have a six-pack, but she could tell he kept fit. The arms that held the shirt were strong and he had a tall sturdy frame. Millie felt another pang of emotion in her stomach, she was getting more uneasy the more she saw.

"No" he shook his head, his eyes narrowed and looked directly into hers, as if trying to read her thoughts.

She couldn't handle it, so without another word, Millie swung around and left the room. She took a few steps down the hall, but stopped and lent against the wall. Taking a few breaths in and out and looked back at the door of the male change rooms, entirely unsure of what had just happened.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. Millie jumped slightly as she turned.

"There you are!" PC Nate Roberts sighed. "I've been looking for you everywhere- we have a shift to start".

"Yeah…." Millie trailed, looking over her shoulder at the door.

"You ok?" Nate asked with a small frown.

"Yeah I'm alright" Millie swallowed "let's go" she nodded.

"You're driving" he grinned, giving her keys and turning to walk down the hall towards the exit

Millie just smiled meekly and turned again to the change room door. The door swung open and Max exited, he stood in the doorway and looked to his right, locking eyes with Millie. He had changed into a pair of jeans and a light blue t-shirt, his wet hair combed back. They held each other's gazes for a few seconds, both their faces emotionless, before Max ripped his eyes away, turned and walked the other way, back towards CID.

Millie just watched him walk for a few seconds before she herself walked in the opposite direction to start her shift.

"Get a grip Amelia" she hissed to herself "he doesn't even know you". She shook herself free of any DS Carter related thoughts and walked out of the station and into the heatwave. Little did Millie know, this was going to be the day that that all changed….


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

"Why do they make us wear these uniforms?" Nate moaned as they pulled up into the Sun Hill car park.

"They enjoy making us suffer?" Millie suggested with a smile.

"Yeah they probably do, all those bosses, sitting up in their nice big air-conditioned offices!" Nate replied, a mocking tone in his voice as he raised his hand out of the window, pointing accusingly at the office windows, where Jack Meadows and the other top brass resided. Millie simply laughed at his antics. "It like full body armour, the heat is just trapped in!" he complained, turning back to her.

"Yeah I know" Millie groaned, shaking her collar in an attempt to circulate some air- a miserable failure. "I can feel myself melting underneath all this".

They exited the car and walked through the main sliding doors of the Sun Hill station. The front desk was manned by Ben, who sat and rested his hands behind his head, grinning smugly at his two colleagues as they walked through the door.

"Hot out there?" he asked, a little too innocently, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

"No, not at all" Millie replied, mimicking his sarcastic tone, resting her elbows on the top of the front counter. "It's heaven-I'm actually sad to be coming back…I mean we've only been spending the last 6 hours patrolling estates…_on foot"_ she added, glaring down at Ben.

"Oh damn!" Ben laughed, coming and sitting up, leaning in towards Millie "too bad I got stuck in here, you know, with the air conditioning and everything…."

Millie simply laughed and mindlessly lifted her hair, exposing her neck to some much needed refreshment. "So who drew the short straw?" Millie asked, still smiling.

"Sally and Leon" Ben grinned mischievously, leaning back into the chair, stretching his legs and arms out in front of him lazily.

"You're evil" Millie chuckled.

"I do my best" Ben stated triumphantly, shrugging his shoulders.

"I better get changed, this uniform is torture" Millie groaned, rolling her eyes.

She turned to walk toward the female change rooms, but she couldn't help but get the feeling she was being watched. She looked up and saw Max Carter. He was standing on the landing of the stairs, chatting with DC Stevie Moss. Well it seems that Stevie was doing the chatting. Max was simply standing there, the usual blank emotionless expression painted on his face. Millie watched as his eyes moved and stopped on her.

She allowed the same uneasy feeling to overcome her as she held his gaze. _Why was he staring at her? _She asked herself. She felt tense knowing that he was focusing on her, and after their little run-in this morning….. But she also felt a hint of confidence creep in. Millie wanted to make a statement. That she wasn't the same little ginger plain-faced PC who got kidnapped and couldn't deal with male attention, she wanted him to realise her and see her differently. She wasn't as naïve and innocent as he assumed.

So she put on her best seductive smile and intensified her gaze. She grabbed her vest and pulled the Velcro open, exposing her white uniform shirt, which she felt was covered with sweat. Millie could feel that it was clinging to every bit of her skin.

She knew that Max was thinking the same thing. She could see his eyes widen just an inch, his eyebrow raised as he looked her over quickly before settling his intense gaze back on her eyes.

Millie just raised her own eyebrows in return, she slid the vest off in one quick fluid motion and held it with her hand. She turned sharply and walked straight down the hall and into the change rooms, not daring to look back. As she got into the empty room, she sunk down into the cold steel bench and composed herself. Suddenly she couldn't control herself. She bent over and burst out into laughter. She has done it. Surprised Max Carter- caught him off guard. She even thought she had detected the faintest smile as he locked onto her stare.

Enlightened by her bold move, she hastened to have a quick shower and change into a pair of faint denim shorts, a light t-shirt and sandals. She felt physically better having the enormous weight of the uniform off her. She was actually starting to feel dizzy, the weight combined with the lack of air circulation was terrible. She couldn't help but feel envious of the detectives upstairs, but even they had to wear semi-formal attire.

Signing heavily as packed her handbag and stuffed her sweaty uniform into her duffle bag. It needed another washing before she could wear it again. Judging by how surprised Max was when he saw her wearing it, she knew it would be inappropriate to wear it again on her next shift without a proper wash.

She was glad that tomorrow was her day off. The radio forecast had predicted a muggy and humid 32°C, one of the hottest days yet. She was looking forward to spending the day relaxing in her apartment with the air conditioning cranked up. Millie couldn't help but silently wish that Ben got a patrol shift tomorrow. She would've loved to be able to witness his reaction. It was obvious that every uniformed officer at Sun Hill was dreading being rostered on for outdoor patrols these days, especially with the temperature heating up more every day. But Millie had to commend Smithy, he was doing his best to spread it around. Even the detectives were avoiding having to leave the station. With the government paying the electricity bills, why would you _want_ to leave?

As Millie opened the door, her bags in hand and started down the hallway towards the staff car park. She heard a voice call out her name. She turned and saw that Smithy was calling her, indicating for her to come into his office. As she walked closer, she saw that not only was Smithy present, but DI Neil Manson.

_What's going on?_ She asked herself. _Crap! _Was it to do with Max? _You were so stupid to do that _she mentally chastised herself. What else could these two want with her. She always kept her nose down, didn't do anything wrong, maybe the occasional teasing of her workmates.

"Millie" Smithy greeted her with a warm smile, extending his arm out, encouraging her into the small office. Neil already sat on one of the chairs and greeted her with a nod and a tight smile. Smithy closed the door behind him and sat down at his desk, placing both elbows on the table and looking at Millie, who returned his gaze nervously.

"You're not in any trouble Millie" Neil said gently, breaking the awkward silence that engulfed them. Millie felt her whole body immediately relax and she allowed herself to sink comfortable into the chair. However, she maintained a curious expression on her face and looked from Smithy to Neil for some kind of explanation of her summons.

"In fact it's the complete opposite" Smithy smiled encouragingly at her. "We need your help with something….." he started, looking at Neil to continue.

"CID has recently started a joint operation with another taskforce" Neil began "we are investigating a ring of Polish arms dealers who we believe are importing a range of dangerous weapons into the UK".

Millie nodded, she didn't seem to understand why they were telling her this. She was a lowly PC, this was only her 5th year in the force. Why were they spilling the beans on a top-secret operation?

"Where do I fit into this?" she asked, confused.

"We understand that you took some psychology classes at college?" Neil asked her, leaning slightly forward in his seat.

"Yes…." Millie replied uncertainly "for about 2 years before I dropped it, joined the Met instead". She turned to Smithy who just smiled at her.

"I also read that you took some police work courses before you joined us at Sun Hill? Undercover and covert operations I understand?"

"Yeah" Millie nodded "I always found that kinda thing interesting. I had this fantasy of becoming an undercover…..once" she smiled ruefully.

"Well…." Millie looked up at Smithy who grinned at her brightly "what would you say if we could make that dream come true?"


	3. Chapter 3

**I know that this fic hasn't really been read much and I haven't had many reviews, but I just wanted to thank everyone who has read it. I would especailly like to thank FeeBee17, she has been a great supporter! Thanks for your constant support and reviews! I really appreciate it! **

**To all the Bill readers, please remember to review! **

Chapter 3:

"What?" Millie shook her head in confusion, "how?" she asked.

"Both Inspector Smith and I thought that you might be able to assist us with the operation" Neil started "because of your background knowledge".

"Me?" Millie pointed to herself "me…go undercover….?"she stammered. Her world was spinning, "I don't have any experience, any knowledge, I don't know how to do it!" Millie exclaimed, her voice filled with panic.

"Don't worry Millie" Smithy reassured her soothingly. "We can help you, we will teach you everything, prepare you well…this is only an….idea at the moment".

"Ok" Millie nodded, her breathing calming down slightly "but can I just ask….why me?"

Neil laughed gently and looked her with a smile "because you're young. The profile we are creating needs someone young, someone friendly and kind, but someone who is prepared to work hard and get a result, but they need to be caring and approachable too".

"And that's me?" Millie asked pointedly.

"We both observed the way you worked on the Jade Hopkins case Millie".

Millie couldn't help but feel her stomach sink. She hated being reminded of her kidnapping. It made her feeler weaker, like she could never escape the experience.

"You did really well with it" Smithy reassured her "you stuck to your gut instinct. You're really good at being able to read people, to know their feelings and intentions. We need someone like you Millie, someone intuitive."

"Ok" Millie nodded, the information sinking into her brain. She had to think of her future. She didn't want to be stuck in uniform for the rest of her career. Underneath the shy and gentle personality was a girl seeking adventure. This might just be her ticket…undercover…..always an interesting concept. This was the doorway and all she needed to do was open it and step inside.

"Ok" she repeated, a brighter smile widening on her face. "I'll do it".

Both Smithy and Neil simply beamed at her.

"Can you tell me more?" Millie asked, the grin quickly disappeared, being replaced with a determined expression.

"Not now" Neil shook his head. "In two days, the other taskforce will be coming down from Liverpool to brief everyone here in CID, you can join us then and find out everything you need to know about your role in the operation".

Millie nodded and smiled. "Thank you for considering me, I promise to give my best to this".

"I have no doubt you will" Neil told her, standing up and leaving the office, giving them both a wave as he left.

Smithy turned back to Millie "you better get home" he told her, indicating to her bags, which remained sitting at her feet. "Get some rest and we'll you on Friday".

"Alright" Millie agreed, standing up and swinging her handbag over her shoulder. "I'm looking forward to doing it".

"We'll see you soon Millie" Smithy smiled and stood up himself, leading her out of the small office and back into the hallway.

As Millie walked down the hall, she couldn't help but feel determination and excitement. This was going to be her big break, and she was going to damn well succeed.

…._…..

Millie slowly woke up, letting out a big yawn and stretching out her arms until they hit the headboard. Today was the day. She was going undercover. She remained in her bed for a few more minutes, mentally willing herself to get out of the bed. Even though she was excited by the concept of this new operation, she simply couldn't make herself get up and out. She looked over at her alarm clock which sat quietly on the bedside table. _7:23 _the red numbers stared back at her.

The de-brief was happening at 9am up in the CID meeting rooms. Millie had only been in their a few times. She didn't really like climbing those few stairs that led to CID. She simply felt at home downstairs, where all the uniforms resided. Even though it was one whole station, both CID and the uniforms kept to their own. Only really coming together if needed. CID's territory was upstairs and uniforms down….that was just the natural order. But mostly, the conference rooms upstairs just reminded Millie of the Hopkins case- her kidnapping. She didn't like being reminded of her ordeal. Even though Smithy and Neil Manson might have commended her on her efforts, she still felt like she let Jade and her baby down, and she couldn't forget the way Max Carter had treated her. Like she was a child, incapable of doing her job, incapable of being a police officer.

But the memory of her run in with him two days ago made her smile. The look he had given her when her vest came off. Millie was sure that she had detected the slightest surprise in his eyes, but had she seen intrigue? The way that he kept staring at her, his eyes trained firmly on hers…..

_Stop it! _Millie mentally scolded herself. Why did she keep thinking about him? He didn't even care about her. He was probably staring at her as some kind of insult, to remind her of her inferiority. But now she didn't care anymore. She was going to show him, and everyone else that she wasn't what they all thought. She was a good copper and she was going to do her very best.

She slowly got out of her bed and jumped into the shower. The night had been just as hot and stuffy as promised and even though it wasn't yet 8 in the morning, she could already tell that it was going to be another hot day. The sun was already shining bright and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"_Weird for London, but a good sign for me" _Millie thought to herself as she got out of the shower, grabbing her towel to dry herself_._ Her housemate, Emma had spent the night over at her boyfriends, so Millie felt happy to have the house to herself. She decided to dress herself in a pair of black skinny jeans, a crisp white ruffled blouse and a red cardigan, leaving her ginger hair out. Even though she knew she might just melt under the amount of long material she was wearing, she wanted to seem conservative and professional at the same time. Millie didn't want the bosses of this taskforce to see her as immature. Neil and Smithy had promised these bosses a young, hardworking and intuitive police officer and that was exactly what they were getting.

….-…..

As Millie pulled up her car at the staff car park, she felt the butterflies in the pit of her stomach intensify.

"_No backing out now"_ she told herself sternly "_this is what you've wanted". _Millie shook herself quickly, trying to rid her demons. She grabbed her bag and jumped out her car, locking it behind her as she strode through the automatic sliding doors and into Sun Hill station.

Today she found Mel sitting behind the front counter. Millie walked up to her, propping her handbag on the top of the counter and greeting her friend with a grin.

"What are you so happy about Mills?" Mel asked with a questioning smile.

"Oh nothing much" Millie replied innocently with a cheeky glint in her eyes.

"What…you got some action last night or something?" Mel laughed, leaning in towards her friend.

"Maybe?" Millie smiled, enjoying teasing Mel "a girl never reveals her secrets…."

Suddenly she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She whipped around to find Max standing behind her. Millie could feel her cheeks immediately turning pink. He narrowed his eyes and glanced over her, taking in every detail of her outfit before settling back on her brown eyes. Millie simply stood awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.

"We're starting upstairs" he grumbled simply, keeping the scowl firmly settled on his face, stuffing his hand into his jean pockets.

"Are you ready Millie?" asked a friendlier voice. Millie saw DC Stevie Moss walking up behind Max stopping next to him, giving Millie a bright, kind smile.

"Yeah" Millie nodded enthusiastically in reply.

"Great, we'll see you up there" Stevie told her and started up the stairs, Max took one last look at Millie before broodingly following Stevie.

"What is that all about?" Mel asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

"Nothing" Millie dismissed Mel quickly "I'm just helping CID for a few days with something". She knew that Mel was famous for spreading gossip and news. She loved her for it, God knows she actually enjoyed listening to Mel's daily dirt over lunch in the cafeteria, but Millie didn't want anyone knowing about the undercover business, at least not yet.

"I was talking about DS Carter" Mel told her suspiciously "the way he sized you up and glared straight into your eyes the entire time- it was scary to watch from the sidelines".

"Stop it" Millie chuckled, waving her arm dismissively "you're making it sound like I'm some kind of bug that DS Carter wants to squash".

"Who knows what goes through that man's head" Mel told her simply, shrugging her shoulders as she turned to the computer and started typing.

Millie pondered this thought and sighed "yeah…..who knows" she mumbled before sighing again and starting up the stairs up to CID.

….-…

As Millie pushed open the door of CID, she found that the conference room was already full. Many of Sun Hill's detectives had already congregated, some sitting, some standing, chatting quietly as they waited for the briefing to start. Millie silently scanned the room, her eyes taking in a few unfamiliar faces, there was a tall women. She looked in her late-twenties and had long light brown hair which was tied back neatly into a ponytail, she was standing talking with DS Stuart Turner, smiling politely as he talked to her. Millie turned to her right, standing at the front was DI Manson, he seemed to be talking to another unfamiliar male. This man was probably in his mid-thirties, short dark blonde hair and thin-framed glasses fixed on his nose. His brow furrowed as he listened to Neil, nodded occasionally to whatever Neil was telling him. There were a few more new people, a few more men and two women, all of whom were scattered around the room, deep in conversation.

Millie couldn't help but feel out of place. All these professionals surrounded her, each filled to the brim with experience and knowledge…..Millie was way out of her depth. She felt her stomach start to tie into knots as she swallowed hard. The doors suddenly opened and Millie noticed she was standing in the middle of the doorway, seemingly frozen with uncertainty and fear. She spun around to find Smithy smiling at her.

"Great to see you here Millie" he said to her, still smiling as he entered the room. Millie awkwardly shuffled over and allowed Smithy to pass her. She felt her lips move automatically into a light smile, but she could tell it must have come out crookedly.

Smithy just raised his eyebrow at her. "Nervous?" he asked, the smile lingering on his lips.

"How did you know?" Millie replied, a small chuckle escaping her.

"It's going to be alright" he reassured her, patting her gently on her arm before walking through the small crowd up to the front.

Millie sighed heavily and walked over to the back corner of the room, she positioned herself so she had a good view of the whiteboard at the front. A few seconds later, Neil cleared his throat and raised his arm, calling for silence. Everyone hushed almost immediately and turned to look at Neil.

"Thanks everyone for coming" he began, his eyes sweeping over the room "I'd like to especially welcome our colleagues from Liverpool".

Millie watched as a few of the unfamiliar faces gave Neil a tight smile in acknowledgment, while others remained stoned faced in concentration. Again Millie felt her stomach churn, the sheer determination and resolve of these people was unnerving.

"As you all know, we are Taskforce Acer- assigned to investigate a Polish Arms Dealer Racket operating in and out of the UK. We of course are investigate the British side of things, but that doesn't mean Interpol haven't already caught wind and are keeping tabs".

Neil stuck up a CCTV image onto the whiteboard. It was grainy, but even from the back of the room, Millie made out a male figure. The man had light brown hair, sporting a leather jacket and denim jeans. Even though his choice of clothes was horrendous, the man was sporting an equally scary looking glare as he talked on the phone.

"This…" Neil pointed to the man's face "..is Konrad Adamski. We believe him to be the boss of this whole operation. This particular group of people specialise in guns, any and every type, pistols, automatics, you name it, Adamski's got it. He concentrates more on the trading between Poland and England, but surveillance has shown he likes to dabble in the trades between other countries too. So far we've tracked his weapons to Germany, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey, even as far as South-East Asia".

Millie felt her mouth gap open just an inch. "_This is a huge operation" _she thought to herself. Something on such a large global scale, and she was part of it. Both pride and nerves swirled in her gut as she listened on.

"Now I bet you're all wondering what our next move is?" Neil asked, his eyebrow rising slightly and a knowing smile lifting his lips. "I'll pass this onto DI Kowalski to tell you more".

"_A Polish DI" _Millie thought to herself "_interesting"_. The one Polish man she knew wasn't exactly her favourite person on the block. Her ears perked up as the dirty blond man with the glasses stepped forward.

"Ok well recent Intel has suggested that Adamski has decided for a change of scenery" Kowalski calmly explained. "He's left Liverpool and the North and just bought a house on the outskirts. Nothing fancy, obviously doesn't want to attract any….._unwanted _attention", Kowalski smiled and wiggled his fingers into mid-air inverted commas as he spoke. The room broke out into a light chuckle, even Millie found herself smiling. This new DI from Liverpool had his way of making people engaged and listening, she was taken aback by the level of respect everyone had for him. Millie was looking forward to meeting the man herself.

"We've done extensive surveillance so we know what he is doing and planning, but catching the guy is nearly impossible, he is as slippery as butter in a hot frypan." Millie found herself smiling lightly at the man analogies. "Hence, now we are going to ramp up our investigation" he smiled, Millie swore she spotted a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"So what are we going to do?" Millie heard a seated detective at the front ask.

Kowalski's eyes scanned the room quickly as his eyes finally settled on Millie. A bright smile lifted the corners of his lips as he continued to look at her.

"We send in the undercovers".

….

**Well right now I am super happy because I have managed to download both Smash and Grab and Righteous Kill which is amazing! I can get my Mallie fix again! I've been downloading other Bill episodes and it's been great to watch the show again! Such a long time! **

**Please review! **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

"In this preliminary stage, we are sending in 6 undercover police officers to investigate the racket further" Kowalski explained, turning back to the small crowd in front of him, the bright smile he has given Millie still lingering on his lips. "Each will be in pairs- assigned together to infiltrate this organisation".

Millie felt her stomach jump, she scanned the room wondering who she was going to be paired with.

She blanked as DI Kowalski began reading out the pairs. She watched as Will Fletcher and another young man stepped up towards the front, taking a manila folder from Neil. Two more men, unknown to Millie also followed suit.

"PC Millie Brown" Kowalski called. Millie felt her guts jolt as she snapped out of her haze and walked uncertainly to the front of the room. Kowalski gave her a small acknowledging nod and handed her the thick manila folder.

"PC Brown….meet PC Elka Nowak" he told her, sweeping his arm towards the tall late-twenties brunette Millie had noticed talking to Stuart before the start. Elka smiled warmly at Millie and gave her a small wave. Millie couldn't help but reciprocate the smile and walked over to the young woman, taking up her position next to her new partner.

"Alright everyone" Neil called, settling the room down again. "Thanks for coming, we'll keep you all updated on the undercover progress…..we're gonna nail these bastards" he added with a smile.

The room nodded and murmured in agreement, before turning and beginning to slowly shuffle out. Millie turned to follow suit, feeling a tap on her shoulder.

"You and Elka stay behind" Neil told her. Millie stood and watched as the room slowly emptied, she saw Max glance at her. They locked eyes across the room. Millie stood and held his gaze, her face blank as she watched him through the crowd.

"Please tell me you're as nervous as I am" she heard a voice say behind her shoulder. Millie broke away from Max's gaze and turned, finding Elka standing behind her.

Millie turned back for a second and found Max gone. She watched his retreating figure return to his desk in the next room. Millie turned back to her new partner and smiled.

"Yeah" she answered "this is going to be massive. I've never done anything like this before" Millie explained nervously.

"Me either" Millie was surprised to find that Elka had a perfect British accent, not a hint of the Polish ancestry both her names suggested. "But I'm glad that we've been partnered together, I'm sure we'll learn a lot from each other".

Millie beamed "yeah it's going to be really exciting".

"Exciting doesn't even begin to cover it" Neil interrupted them, a small smile on his lips. "So I see that you've met and done the introductions. You're going to be partners for minimum the next 6 weeks, so I'm glad to see you two getting along. The last thing I need is a catfight." Both Millie and Elka turned and grinned at each other.

"We'll do our best not to get to that stage, I don't think I will want to be ripping out her hair" Elka laughed.

"Glad to hear it" Neil replied "now Millie," he turned to her, pulling out some papers from his manila folder. "We've managed to get one of Adamski's right hand men onside. He's decided that he wants out of this whole organisation and he knows the only way to _really _do that is to shut it all down. You're going to be portraying his sister".

Millie's eyebrow rose with slight worry as she pulled out the papers from her own manila folder and scanned the page.

"Don't worry, the guy, Henry North, he's actually British and he has got slightly ginger hair, a perfect match actually" Neil chuckled to himself. "You will have no problem fitting in and being able to integrate into the story. Now your angle to try and get close to the other workers: couriers, bodyguards, fall-out guys, anyone and everyone connected to this. You need to work, worm even seduce your way into the top ranks of this organisation". Millie's eyebrow raised even further.

"And Elka" Neil turned towards the brunette "we've got another guy lined up, a Pawel Ostrowski, you're going to be playing his girlfriend. Pawel is actually Adamski's, lawyer".

"Adamski's very corrupt lawyer" Elka scoffed, scanning her own papers in the folder.

Neil just nodded in agreement. "You have to basically also integrate yourself into this organisation. Pawel has been instructed to keep playing ball like nothing has changed, so you have to play it cool and just play along with whatever he give you. Your Polish language skills will come in useful in passing us information. But you have to make it very clear to everyone that you _don't _speak Polish, they might withhold information if they become suspicious of us- can you do it?"

"Oczywiście" she smiled. She glanced at both Millie's and Neil's confused expressions. "It means of course" she explained quickly.

Neil just nodded curtly. "Alright, well you girls start tomorrow. Millie you're going to be meeting your "brother" and he'll tell you everything you need to know. Elka, Ostrowski is going to give you a call and I'm sure that he'll want to meet up. Why don't you girls go downstairs and get a coffee, get to know each other, build the friendship, you're going to need complete faith in each other during these next few months".

Both Millie and Elka just nodded and gathered up their papers. "Bit too hot for coffee" Elka laughed, "how does a lemonade sound?"

"Make it a Coke and you got yourself a deal" Millie grinned in reply.

The two girls entered the cafeteria and walked over to an empty table in the corner of the room. Elka bought two cans of soft drink and returned to the table, placing one in front of Millie.

"So I guess we could start by telling each other about ourselves?" Millie started, aiming to fill the awkward silence that engulfed them.

"Sounds good" Elka smiled, taking a sip from her can.

"Ok" Millie started "prepare yourself for a short story. My name is Amelia Brown, I was born here in London, grew up with my parents, sister and brother. I've been a cop for 5 years. Before joining, I had been doing psychology and I just decided that wasn't for me. I joined the police because I always wanted to work here, it was actually a passion, it just took me longer to realise it. I was at one other station before they posted me here to Sun Hill, but when I think about it, I wouldn't want to leave, all the PC's here are like a family, yes, slightly dysfunctional, but still really close. When I found out that I was chosen for this undercover thing, total shock! But I think that it's a really exciting and different opportunity".

"Ok, well my name is Elka Nowak. I was actually born in Poznan in Poland, but my parents brought me over to England when I was still a baby, hence bring brought up with a perfect British accent. But I was taught Polish from an early age and I've always spoken it around family and other Poles. It's just a huge part of who I am. I've been a police officer for just under 6 years. I was raised in Liverpool, so it was only natural that I was part of the force up there. The station where I'm at is pretty big. All the PC's know each other, and aren't afraid to have a friendly chat, but we are not as close. As soon as we finish our shifts, everyone just goes back to their own lives and friends. I was actually quite surprised to see just how friendly people here are with each other. Everyone from both CID and your uniforms get on so well, and DI Manson is really nice".

"Well what's DI Kowalski like?" Millie asked, resting her elbows on the table and folding her arms.

"Oh he's great" Elka nodded "his first name is Thomas, he was born here but of course has Polish parents. He is super friendly and nice. I've probably only worked with him once or twice, but he knows everyone's name and is really supportive. He is only 35, but he is almost like a father figure to everyone, you wouldn't be worried about placing your life in his hands, he wouldn't let you down. He always gets a good result. That's probably why he was chosen for this- the brass know he's the best for this job, especially with undercovers going in".

Millie smiled, reassured that the new DI was a kind and supportive character, she had one less thing to worry about.

"So you're a lawyers girlfriend" Millie laughed, leaning back in her chair, propping the manila folder on her stomach and scanning through the information. "Sounds good" she added sarcastically.

Elka chuckled and nodded "yeah, I gotta pretend to be all _corrupt_ and evil- kinda hard when you've spent your whole life following the rules and are in the law _enforcing_ business".

"Yeah well I gotta pretend to be some guys sister!" Millie exclaimed "that's going to be even harder, gotta learn some random's whole family tree. Oh and you heard Neil- I supposed to _'seduce' _my way into the organisation. I'm not much of a 'seducer'".

"Oh come on!" Elka exclaimed with a dismissive way of her hand "I'm sure you could have any guy, you just gotta put yourself out there! Be…spontaneous!".

"Yeah, spontaneous is not an adjective I would use to describe me" Millie rolled her eyes cynically.

"We'll see" Elka grinned at Millie, a hint of mischief gleamed in her eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Millie asked, her eyebrow arching higher.

"Nothing" Elka dismissed, avoiding Millie's eye as she scanned the cafeteria.

Millie opened her mouth to protest but instead Elka cut in "Millie" she started, keeping her eyes trained on something behind Millie "who is that?".

Millie turned, following Elka's eyes to see where the young women was staring. It was directly at Max.

"That's DS Max Carter" Millie replied monotonously, turning back, trying to avoid the topic.

"Who's stuck the pole up his bum?" Elka demanded with a smirk, her eyes still trained firmly on Max. Millie turned back toward Max, who had just entered the cafeteria, the permanent frown stuck firmly on his face.

"He's always like that" Millie waved her arm dismissively.

"Wow!" Elka replied, leaning back into her seat, her attention now back on Millie. "What's he like to work with?" Elka asked.

"Um….." Millie couldn't help but let her thoughts return to the kidnapping and before that the Jankowski case. Max has always been a….challenge. His thirst for success and constant lack of emotional perspective was a massive flaw in the way Max conducted his work. But Millie had to commend him, he usually did get a result, even if it usually meant that he needed help along the way.

"Well…..?" Elka asked "he can't be _that _bad can he?" she grinned, glancing beyond Millie, sneaking another glance at Max again "can he?"

"Well the least I can say is that he is…methodical".

Elka simply laughed and nodded. "Gotcha" she smiled.

Millie just beamed at her new colleague. She knew that Elka was going to become if not a great partner, a wonderful friend too.

….

Millie sat in the conference room with Elka, silently reading the information in the manila folder Kowalski had handed her. Her alias was Millie North, she was born in London and lived alone in a flat in the western suburbs. She was coming onto the scene because she had just come back from a backpacking trip to Australia and was looking for work. Her "brother" Henry was happy to help her get work doing book keeping for the "shipping business". Millie sighed and dropped the folder, rubbing her temples with her fingers.

"Oh I've had enough of this!" Elka exclaimed with a moan, also dropping her folder and throwing her head back.

"The words are making my head hurt" Millie grumbled, folding her arms on the table and burying her face in them.

Elka just laughed and looked at Millie, who was sitting face down, her puffy ginger hair only visible. "I think we need a drink", she announced, standing up, leaving the folder sitting on the desk.

"As long as it's got more than 20% alcohol" Millie smiled, raising her head.

Elka just grinned mischievously "didn't you know that the Poles are famous for their Vodka?"

"I'm in!" Millie laughed, standing up from her chair and grinning brightly at her partner.

"Excellent!" Elka laughed, clapping her hands with a small laugh.

…-…..-

An hour later, Millie and Elka was sitting at a local bar, downing shots of Polish vodka. The more Millie drank, the more she regretted allowing Elka to introduce her to the liquid. It burned like wildfire in her throat and she could feel it swimming alone in her otherwise empty stomach. Her vision started to blur and her head was pounding thanks to the bass music that the bar was playing.

"I think we might need to get some food" Millie shouted to her partner, trying to make herself heard over the loud music. "I don't feel so good" she added, rubbing her stomach.

"Yeah I think you're right" Elka nodded, rubbing her head as she gathered her handbag. "I know that there is a pizza place down the road, we can drop by for a slice".

"Sounds like a plan" Millie agreed, standing up but immediately regretting rising too fast as her world started to spin. She reached out and grabbed the bar top in an attempt to steady herself. Through her blurred vision, she noticed that Elka seemed to also have some difficulty staying upright.

"I think we took a few too many shots" Elka grinned.

"You don't say" Millie giggled as she managed to let go of the table top, the queasiness in her head starting to slowly subside. "We need to get some food into our stomachs".

"Agreed".

As the two girls left the bar, they walked down the street. Classic Friday night and other party goers had started to fill the streets, looking for clubs and bars to visit. Millie also knew that Friday meant that Sun Hill PC's were going to be on patrol, breaking up fights and driving drunk teens home- a typical Friday night shift. She didn't have to blink before she spotted PC Beth Green and PC Mel Ryder on the other side of the road.

They quickly found her too, giving her a grin and wave.

"Friends of yours?" Elka asked.

"Yeah" Millie nodded with a smile, watching the two PC's cross the road and make their way towards Millie and Elka.

"What are you doing out this late Miss Millie?" Mel asked with a bright smile.

"We've come out for a drink" Millie explained, indicating to Elka.

"Hi" Elka smiled to Beth and Mel "I'm PC Elka Nowak".

"You're a copper" Beth said curiously "how do you know Millie then?".

"Oh it's a long story" Elka laughed. Millie was relieved that Elka didn't reveal about the undercover operation, she didn't want it becoming public knowledge, would it not only compromise everything, but she wanted to be able to keep this one thing to herself. Millie suddenly felt herself starting to gag, the Polish vodka wasn't feeling very welcome alone in her stomach.

"Are you drunk?" Beth laughed at Millie, noticing her ginger friend going pale.

"A tad" Millie squeaked, looking up embarrassingly at her friend.

"You better get home" Mel giggled "you know Smithy doesn't like hangovers on the job".

Millie swallowed and nodded. Tomorrow was going to be her first day as an undercover, it was going to be tough enough as it is and she didn't want to be nursing a hangover as well.

"See you guys around" Elka waved as she lead a still nauseous Millie away. Mel and Beth returned the goodbye and walked away, resuming their foot patrol.

"Are you ok to walk?" Elka asked with a concerned smile. "I can always hail a cab to take us home".

"No" Millie mumbled, shaking her head. "I can make it". Millie grabbed her handbag and rummaged through it mindlessly.

"What are you looking for?" Elka asked with a curious laugh.

"My phone" Millie replied "I can't find it".

"Don't worry about it, you can get it tomorrow at work".

"No" Millie shook her head defiantly "I need it, I'm expecting a call first thing tomorrow morning. We are two blocks from the station, can we swing by?" She immediately regretted shaking her head as another dizzy spell came over her. Millie stuck out her arm and lent on the nearby brick wall for support.

Elka just sighed and nodded in defeat "alright" she nodded "let's go". She took Millie's arm and starting leading her down the walkway towards Sun Hill.

"How are you not as drunk as me?" Millie asked, but her voice came out a slurred mumble.

"I'm Polish" Elka replied simply "I guess we are immune to the strong effects" she grinned "I've drunk the stuff since I turned 18, it's the traditional party drink over in Poland. When we have weddings and baptisms, we drink it to celebrate".

"Well in London we drink wine and beer" Millie laughed "but that stuff is orange juice compared to vodka".

Elka just giggled in agreement as the pair stumbled towards the entry of Sun Hill station.

"Hey Bennie!" Millie called to her friend as he stood at the front counter.

"Millie" he smirked knowingly, he was an expert when it came to the signs and symptoms of classic drunkenness. He just never thought he would see the day when those signs and symptoms were being displayed by the stations resident goodie goodie. "Are you drunk?" he asked with a smile, glancing from Millie to Elka.

"Not at all!" Millie exclaimed. "We just went down to the bar for a few shots. Elka here was introducing me to the world of Polish vodka. Quite yummy actually."

"A few?" Ben smirked. "Looks like you downed the whole bottle! Don't tell me you were doing body shots off each other" he laughed.

"Shut up Ben!" Millie giggled, punching him lightly on the arm.

"Millie" Elka spoke up "can you please go and get your phone. I think we both need a good night's sleep" she moaned running her fingers through her brown hair.

"Alright alright, keep your pants on" Millie grumbled, a frown forming on her face as she walked off down the corridor towards the locker room.

As Millie went to open the door, it opened itself and she came face to face with a stern looking Max Carter.

"Millie" he acknowledged her, looking down at her, a glint of curiosity in his eyes. "What are you doing here so late?" he asked, slinging a backpack over his shoulder.

"Um", Millie swallowed, swaying slightly, putting her hand to her head and moaning, the pounding had started again and she could feel the vodka starting to swirl in her stomach. "I…..my phone" she mumbled closing her eyes.

"Are you drunk?" he smirked, looking at her knowingly.

"I don't remember" Millie admitted, looking at him with her squinted eyes. The bright florescent lights were extremely bright for her sluggish eyesight.

"Yeah I think you had a few too many glasses of wine" he laughed gently, taking her arm "let's get you outta here, big day tomorrow".

"It was vodka actually" Millie added, allowing Max to lead her slowly down the hall. "Elka got me drinking Polish vodka, do you know it?".

"Ah" Max nodded understandingly, "that stuff is deadly, no wonder you're having trouble staying upright".

"I can stay horizontal thank you very much" Millie exclaimed, shaking herself free of his grip. However, she managed a few steps backwards before she tripped over herself. Max managed to catch her arm before she tumbled to the ground.

"No wonder you have red hair" he smiled, leading her again towards the front desk "you are pretty stubborn".

"Do you like my hair?" Millie asked, her burst of anger forgotten, for now she was enjoying the company of the man she had a slight crush on. "I once considered dying it, I always thought that the ginger was too strong- what do you think", Millie preferred being drunk at this moment, she wouldn't have had the courage to be so boastful with him otherwise. She didn't even know why she was asking him such ridiculous questions, but she couldn't help herself, the words just tumbled out of her mouth.

"I've always liked you hair" he told her gently. "I makes you, you".

They stopped in the middle of the hall and locked eyes, holding each other's gazes silently for a few seconds.

Max opened his mouth to speak as Millie suddenly gagged, her face going even more pale.

"Are you alright Millie?" he asked, looking down at her, eyebrow raised.

"I think I'm gonna be sick" she squeaked, covering her mouth and running down the hall towards the ladies toilet.

Max simply stood and watched as she ran, he couldn't help but smile, she had got so drunk that she stumbled over herself again as she ran. Max grinned and contemplated going after her but decided against it, instead he walking up the hallway and into the front foyer. There he found the new girl, Elka Nowak and Ben chatting away.

"PC Nowak" he interrupted, his stern voice returning "are you here with PC Brown?" he asked.

"Yes" the brunette nodded with a tight smile, "we went out for some drinks and she forgot her phone so we came back for it".

"Well I think Millie picked up more than her phone, she's in the ladies room now, probably spewing up her guts".

Elka sighed heavily and nodded again "thanks, I better go get her".

"What exactly did you give her?" he asked, his eyes narrowing down at Elka.

"Tylko wódkę" Elka replied mischievously. A toothy smile appearing on her lips.

"Yeah well I don't think anyone but us should drink that stuff" Max told her gruffly. "You better get her home, you're both starting undercover tomorrow" he reminded her sternly.

"Aye aye" Elka sighed, giving Max a mock salute before starting down the hall. "Oh and Sarge" Elka called after him.

"What is it PC Nowak?" he sighed wearily.

"Millie was wrong about you…..you aren't as meticulous as you seem, but don't worry, your secret is safe with me", and with a small smile, Elka turned and started down the hall towards the bathroom.

Max just lifted his backpack higher onto his shoulder, giving Ben a small acknowledging nod, turned and walked out of the station, a small smile forming on his usually closed lips as he walked into the night.

…..

"**Tylko w****ódkę" means "only vodka" in Polish. Enjoy and please review! **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Millie rubbed her eyes and groaned as she slowly woke up. She lifted her head slightly to take in her surroundings, she was lying in her bed, still in her jeans, blouse and cardigan. Millie squinted her eyes as she adjusted to the bright sunlight filling her bedroom through the open blinds. Her head started to pound as she sat up in her bed, trying to remember the events of the previous night.

She suddenly remember her plans for the day and quickly glanced at the clock. _8:32_

"Shit" she cursed out loud, scrambling out from under the blankets and running into the bathroom. Her meeting with Henry North, her new "brother" was at 9 and she was meeting him on the other side of town in a park. Millie took a 30 second shower, not bothering to wash her knotty ginger hair. She took extra care brushing her teeth, making sure to get rid of the putrid aftertaste of the alcohol that lingered in her mouth.

Quickly dressing into a pair of shorts and simple blouse, she grabbed a hair brush and began tugging on her ginger mess of hair as she rushed into the kitchen. Stuffing a slice of bread into her mouth and washing it down with a glass of water, she collected her handbag, phone and keys. Pulling the door of the apartment closed after her, she used her hands to hastily smooth down her hair as she scurried down to the car park.

As Millie got into the car, she started the engine and placed her phone into the hands free cradle, immediately dialling Elka's number.

"Hello?" Elka picked up after 4 rings.

"It's Millie".

"Ahh", Elka said, Millie could hear the smirk behind her tone "how's the head this morning?".

"Pounding" Millie grumbled, turning off her street and joining the main road. "What happened last night?" she asked.

"Don't remember much?" Elka questioned with a laugh.

"Nup" Millie shook her head "last thing I remember was seeing Mel and Beth as we walked down the street. What happened after that".

There was a pregnant pause as Millie started to feel the dread creeping up inside her gut.

"Oh shit" Millie groaned "what did I do?" she demanded as she pulled up at a set of traffic lights.

"Well I think you took too much of a liking to that vodka" Elka told her. "You were well out of it- drunk as".

"Oh shit" Millie repeated, placing her head on top of the steering wheel. "What did I do exactly- tell me everything".

"Well you forgot your phone, you demanded that we go back to the station to get it, so we did" Elka explained.

"And…?" Millie answered "then?".

"Well Ben was there, you were pretty drunk, it was actually pretty funny".

"Crap" Millie whispered to herself.

"Then you disappeared to the locker room to get your phone" Elka told her. "I waited in the front with Ben, he's actually a really sweet guy…."

"Elka!" Millie interrupted her "then what!"

"Alright alright grumpy pants" Elka grumbled and sighed "ummm…..next thing I know DS Carter comes out and tells me that you're in the little girls room 'spewing up your guts'- his words, not mine".

"Fuck!" Millie whispered, she could feel her cheeks flushing pink as she thought of the image of being drunk around Max. She couldn't even imagine how he would've reacted to the shy PC who got kidnapped being completely drunk and out of it. Millie didn't know how she was ever going to be able to look at him again.

"Anyway" Elka interrupted "then I hailed a cab and I dropped you off, made sure you got in ok and went home myself".

"Ok" Millie nodded, her mind going blank after the DS Carter chapter. "Thanks Elka" she told her gratefully "thanks for everything".

"Hey, we're partners now, we gotta look out for each other" Elka told her reassuringly. "Where are you off to now?"

"I am meeting up with my "brother"" Millie explained, pulling up next to the park which had become the designated meeting spot. She spotted a man with slightly ginger hair sitting at a picnic table, his back to her, he seemed to be engrossed in a book.

"Oh have fun" Elka laughed "I'm meeting my "lover" at 11, meet up later on for lunch?" she suggested.

"Yeah sounds good" Millie nodded. "I'll give you a call a little later then".

"Great, see you then…oh and Millie" Elka paused "stay off the vodka" she laughed.

Millie just rolled her eyes and grinned "oh I intended to, its orange juice and lemonade for me from now on".

"Well where the fun in that?" she heard her colleague giggle.

"Goodbye PC Nowak" Millie rolled her eyes, sighing as she hung up, she grabbed her bag and left the car, locking it behind her as she walked anxiously to the start of the undercover operation.

…._

"Henry?" Millie asked nervously as she walked up to the book man.

"Millie?" he asked her in return, putting the book down and standing up. Millie saw that when he had extended himself to his full height, Henry was quite tall, his hair on the border between ginger and brown. He had light brown eyes and a slender jaw line. A small smile formed on his thin lips as he stuck out his hand.

"Yeah" she nodded, returning the polite smile and taking his hand, shaking it firmly.

"Thanks for meeting me here" he told her, creasing the corner of the page in his book and closing it. "I didn't want to compromise anything by meeting in a public domain".

"That's ok" Millie smiled reassuringly "I understand, it was a good idea, until we get everything straight, we should stick to quieter meeting areas- it's safer".

Henry just nodded and swallowed heavily, bowing his head and looking down at the book, his fingers tracing the edge of the cover.

"Nervous?" Millie smiled knowingly. Henry just looked up at her and nodded again.

"It's alright" she told him, "I'm pretty nervous myself, but if we work together, we can do this well and get the result that we both want".

Henry paused, his brown eyes looking into Millie's equally dark ones, as if searching her, trying to establish her character. "Alright" he finally nodded "let's do this".

"Great" Millie grinned "I'm not going to tell you much about me, it could put us in danger later down the track, but you have to know one thing" Millie paused "you have to be able to trust me".

"I do" Henry nodded. His lack of pause made Millie feel better and she nodded.

"We better smooth out any kinks in our story, its need to be flawless".

…

A couple of hours, two sandwiches and a couple cups of takeaway coffee later, Millie and Henry had worked their way through their "life stories" to get everything crystal clear.

"So I am your 25 year old sister" Millie started.

"You have just returned from backpacking around Asia and Australia, you're looking for a place to crash and a job to earn some cash. I'm organising for you to do the bookkeeping down at the docks.".

"Good" Millie nodded. "You're my older brother, I don't know anything about your "work" down at the docks, all I know is that you work for some European guy named Adamski".

"And as far as you know, he is running a simple freight business, bringing in containers and delivering them to different locations. Nothing else. We are just a normal brother and sister who live in London. Our family is completely quiet and normal. They have no idea what I am "really" doing".

"Our mother, Janet Bridge, married Benjamin North and they have lived in London their whole lives. We were brought up here, but I spent most of my childhood at a boarding school in the west, so I was away for long periods of time" Millie recited.

"Sounds good" Henry nodded, sighed tiredly and stretching his arms above him.

"Ok" Millie said "it looks like we have everything in order. I better get going, I need to report back to my boss. My stuff will be arriving at your flat later on today, is that ok?"

"Yeah should be fine" Henry replied "I'm going to be home all day".

"Thanks" Millie smiled gratefully "I'll drop by later tonight, just to settle in and then tomorrow it begins!".

"Yeah, I guess it really does" Henry replied tensely, glancing down at the table top.

"Not having second thoughts are you?" Millie asked warily. "We need you Henry!".

"No!" he exclaimed, looking up at her firmly "I'm in to the end. I just regret getting into this whole thing in the beginning. Konrad was always a friend, but this whole thing has turned him into a monster, I just don't know how I'm going to be able to be the one putting him away into prison", Henry's eyes filled with sadness and worry as he looked at Millie.

Millie reached out and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze "you're doing the right thing" she told him reassuringly "you might be putting him away, but it's for the right reasons, Adamski doesn't deserve to profit from other people's misery".

"Yeah" Henry agreed, returning Millie's hand squeeze with a tight smile. "Thanks for listening, and thanks for being here, you seem like a good person. I'm glad that it's you doing this with me".

Millie just beamed, she stood up and gathered her papers and handbag. Henry followed suit, standing up and walking over toward Millie. "I'll walk you to your car".

When they arrived, Millie opened the back door and dumped her handbag and files inside, turning back to her new "brother".

She hardly had time to smile at him before she was engulfed in a big hug. Henry's long muscly arms consumed her into a comforting embrace. She couldn't help but relax and return the gesture.

"Thank you" Henry whispered into her ear.

"You're welcome" she whispered back "we're in this together".

They parted and Millie opened the driver's door.

"Together" she repeated with a gentle smile, stepping into the car and starting the ignition. She opened her window and gave Henry a wave as she drove off. Millie was happy, their first meeting had gone really well and as far as Millie was concerned, she had actually just gained another brother, and she was going to do everything she could to help him.

…._

Millie swung open the doors of CID with a newfound confidence, her great meeting with Henry had uplifted her and she felt like she was going to do a great job with the case. Building relationships with people was a main principle of undercover work, and Millie had just displayed, at least to herself, that she was able to do that. She had gained Henry's trust and she knew that with that in her back pocket, it would be easier to navigate her away through the whole Adamski clan.

"PC Brown" she heard a voice call behind her. Millie turned to come face to face with DI Kowalski. He was smiling warmly at her, his blonde hair looking exceptionally messy today- in a good way. His glasses sat on his nose as he looked through them intently at Millie. "How did the meeting with North go?" he asked, maintaining the friendly smile.

"It went well Guv" Millie replied, returning the friendly tone. "We went through our stories, made sure everything was flawless and we were able to get to know each other a bit more. I think that I managed to establish a strong relationship with him, gain his trust".

"Well that's great Millie" Kowalski praised her "good work".

"Thanks Sir" Millie beamed happily "I'm going to give it everything for this case".

"Glad to hear it" he nodded. "Have you heard from PC Nowak?"

"Yeah I called her this morning, she was going to meet Pawel Ostrowski at about 11, we were going to meet up later this afternoon".

"Excellent" Kowalski nodded again, "well just get her to call me and let me know how she went, I need to stay across all my undercovers progress".

"Of course Sir" Millie smiled politely and started back down towards the canteen. She need a coffee, a slight pounding headache lingered and her almost empty stomach was growling for more food, the small sandwich she had eaten with Henry wasn't enough to fill her after the event of last night.

She walked down the long corridor, smiling and nodding politely towards her fellow uniforms officers as she passed them in the corridor. She entered the cafeteria and bought a coffee and a chicken salad. She found an empty table and sat down, starting to devour the salad. She glanced around the room and her eyes drifted towards the door, she was shocked to find that DS Carter had just walked through the door, he had mindlessly walked over to the counter and was busily buying his food.

Millie hastily bowed her head, her eyes concentrating on the salad in front of her. After what Elka had told her about her interactions with Max last night, she was too embarrassed to even look at him. She closed her eyes and hoped that he would just leave, waiting a few seconds before slightly lifting her head and gazing in his direction, her stomach did a backflip as she locked eyes with him. Millie couldn't help but feel anger swell up as a small smirk formed on the man's lips as he continued to stare at her.

Millie quickly felt her face form into a scowl as she stared at him, she was getting angry, his constant teasing and intimidation was enough to send her mad. She would've thought that her little shirt stunt was enough to settle him down, at least for a while. She quickly averted her eyes and looked down at her phone as the screen lit up, indicating a text message.

She didn't even have enough time to open it when she heard a voice.

"How are you this morning PC Brown?" Max asked her, slowly walking up toward her. His voice was filled with mock innocence and concern as the smirk continued to play on his lips. He took a sip from the coffee he was holding as he waited for her to speak.

"I'm fine Sarge" she replied curtly, deciding to stare directly into his eyes, trying not to advertise the fact that she was feeling both awkward and embarrassed as she stood near to the man. "Thank you for asking".

"Glad to hear it" he told her, his face settling slightly as he continued to look at her. "Did you get home alright?" he asked in a gentle tone.

"Yeah" Millie answered with a nod, her own tone relaxing in response to Max's. "Elka apparently dropped me off and tucked me in" Millie smiled.

"Hmmm…..well PC Nowak should've known better than to drag you off to a bar the night before you started undercover, very irresponsible" he said, a hint of anger resonating in his voice. Millie was puzzled at the change of attitude so quickly.

"PC Nowak only wanted to celebrate" Elka interrupted, walking up behind Max and giving him a glare. "It was our first day together as undercover partners and I wanted to celebrate the start of our assignment together- not a big deal DS Carter" she explained, starting directly at him, a fake smile plastered on her mouth.

"It is a big deal when you're so drunk that you can't stay upright" he snapped back, turning and looking at Millie, who simply blushed and looked down embarrassingly.

"Ok" Elka nodded "so maybe we got a little carried away, but it happens to the best of us" Elka told him.

"It doesn't matter anymore" Max shook his head "if it happens again, there will be trouble, this police station is no place for that kind of behaviour, I would expect that from someone in the cells" he said sternly, looking from Elka to Millie.

"And you PC Nowak" he turned to her "it's not a good impression to be making on your first day in Sun Hill, I'm not sure how you behaved up in Liverpool, but this is the big world now, keep your child-like antics to yourself" and with that, Max turned and stalked out of the cafeteria, Millie watched frozen with both embarrassment and disgust as she watched him leave.

"Don't listen to him Millie" Elka told her gently, sitting down opposite her ginger partner "he's just a mean old grumpy bum who doesn't know how to have a little fun".

"No" Millie mumbled, shaking her head "he's right, we were really stupid Elka, we shouldn't have drunk that much, or at least we shouldn't have come here- that was a bad move".

"Whatever" Elka waved her hand dismissively "well it's done now, we've learnt our lesson, right?".

"Yeah" Millie murmured, slightly worried by the lack of care from Elka, but she put it into the back of her mind as she sipped her coffee. "So how did your meeting go?" she asked intently.

"Yeah it was good" Elka started "Ostrowski is actually really good looking" she grinned "there's not going to be any problem pretending to be his girlfriend".

Millie laughed "and….? What else?" she asked.

"Well he just told me a little more and Adamski and his operation. He didn't go into much detail, but he told me that Adamski is getting some huge shipment arriving in France in the coming weeks. He has bribed some container ship to bring it over to the UK, they've managed to find a way to slip customs".

"Wow!" Millie gasped "you better tell the DI, I'm sure he'll want to know about that information".

"Yeah I will" Elka nodded.

Millie opened her mouth to speak as her phone lit up again. She opened the new text message and found it was from Henry.

"_Your stuff just arrived, let me know when you're coming- I'll be home all day- Henry" _it read.

Millie sighed heavily and snapped her phone shut.

"I gotta get going" she announced, standing up, gathering the empty salad bowl and coffee cup. "Gotta get somewhere".

"Alright" Elka nodded "meet up tomorrow morning?" she asked.

"Sure thing" Millie smiled and gave Elka a quick hug before swinging her handbag over her shoulder and leaving the cafeteria. As she got to the front of the station, she noticed Max and Stuart standing at the counter, who seemed to be going through some papers together. They simultaneously looked up at her as she walked. Stuart gave her a small smile which Millie warmly returned, she still had the smile plastered on her face as she glanced at Max, who's eyes were narrowed and his lips remained blank. She allowed the smile to falter a little as it remained on her lips. Millie continued walked out of the front sliding doors of the station, not daring to look back, feeling Max's eyes trained firmly on her back.

**I know there wasn't much Malliness, but I promise the next chapter will be better. I'm going to skip forward a few weeks and get straight into the action of the undercover work! Stayed tuned. Plenty of Mallie interactions coming up! **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

_**2 weeks later **_

…_**.**_

Millie sat patiently in the café, sipping her warm coffee as she waited, but who exactly she was waiting for was still unknown. She had receive a text message from Smithy (aka "Mum") who only told her the time and place of their meeting. Millie didn't know who to expect, but she knew that it was time to de-brief. The café she was waiting at overlooked the Thames and Millie smiled as she took in the view of the City.

The last two weeks had been quite eventful in terms of the operation. Millie had started working at the docks with Henry, spending most of her time in the small box of an office, sorting through files and papers, keeping her eyes peeled for any useful information that she could pass on. She had spotted Konrad Adamski in the flesh only twice in the entire two weeks, most of the time, his henchmen came to the docks to sort out any business. Millie was starting to understand why the brass couldn't find anything that would stick to this guy. He always had someone to fall on, someone to cover his arse.

But Elka seemed to be enjoying herself as the operation progressed more and more. She enjoyed flirting with Pawel and she relished the status that his corrupted job gave him. Pawel drove a black sports car and wore expensive Italian suits, and Millie couldn't help but wonder whether the guy really did want to dob Adamski in, it would defiantly mean no more money to feed his lavish lifestyle. As part of her cover, it meant that Elka also got to experience that lavish lifestyle, every time Millie met up with her, she wore a new designer dress or jewellery, her face covered in makeup and her hair professionally styled. Jealousy swirled inside Millie every time she saw Elka basking in the luxury that her cover provided, the plain cheap clothes that Millie wore were rags compared to Elka's wardrobe and she couldn't help but feel inferior.

Millie's stomach flipped as she thought about the meeting that she was waiting for. She didn't know what to expect. So far the contact she had made with the bosses was by phone, getting more instructions and telling them about any new information. But now it was time for her first face to face. Millie picked up her cup of coffee and took a long sip, her mind playing through the potential candidates.

"Excuse me" a male voice interrupted her thoughts. Millie spun around, searching for the voice, but who she found staring back shocked her.

"Are you Amelia North?" Max Carter smirked.

…

Millie's eyes widened and she couldn't help but start spluttering on her coffee. She set the coffee cup back down on the table as she started coughing, grabbing a nearby napkin and wiping her mouth. Max just rolled his eyes and took a step closer to her, taking her by the upper arm and standing her up. He pulled out his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and dumped a five pound note on the table.

"Let's go" he muttered, taking her by the arm again and starting to lead her away from the table. Millie quickly grabbed her bag and allowed herself to be taken, her body frozen by the shock. She looked up at his face and saw a determined expression had replaced the annoying smirk. Max seems oblivious to the fact that Millie was dumbfounded, yet his hand still remained on her arm as they walked along the river.

They walked for a few more feet before they came to a wooden bench, there weren't many people around and Max decided it was a good place to stop. He let go of Millie and indicated that she sit down on the bench. Max remained standing in front of her.

"What are you doing here Sarge?" Millie asked, her voice croaky from the coffee choking.

"Expecting someone else?" he replied, the smirk making its appearance once again.

Millie paused and glanced around to her left, taking in the view of the river. The sun was shining and a cool breeze danced through her ginger hair which was let out and hung just below her shoulders.

"Well?" Max demanded again, crossing his arms and rising his eyebrows expectantly.

"Yeah" Millie said awkwardly "I just didn't think it would be you".

Max just laughed, but there was no hint of cruelty this time. "Well Amelia North, looks like you're stuck with me, I'm probably going to be your handler from now on, can you _handle_ that?"

Millie just smiled at his choice of words and nodded gently.

"Alright then" he replied, returning a small smile "oh and in public, it's probably better if you call me Max, _Sarge _might just give both of us away".

Millie nodded again, angry at her mistake, two weeks in and she still hadn't learnt the most important lesson- don't blow your cover.

"So what now?" she asked, trying to change the topic. "Why did we need to have this face to face?"

"Ahh" Max lit up, glad to be getting to the business side of things. "As you know, we've been doing surveillance from certain obbo points around the docks. We've been watching you and your interactions with the suspects. DI Kowalski has agreed that we need to step it up a little, we need more info- fast, otherwise this whole operation goes nowhere".

"Alright" Millie nodded "what do you need me to do?"

"Just try and get more involved" Max explained "try talking to some of the others, even try and get onto Adamski or some of his goons, remember the more info- the better".

"I'll try" Millie murmured, looking down sheepishly and playing with her fingers.

"Good girl" Max told her with a curt nod.

Millie looked up fiercely at Max, she hated being called that. It reminded her just how much Max thought she was inferior. She wasn't some child or dog that liked getting praised, and Millie was even angrier that Max still hadn't changed his attitude towards her. In his eyes, she was still the innocent wide-eyed ginger PC who didn't know anything expect how to memorise the rulebook.

"Stop calling me that!" she exclaimed, standing up angrily.

"What?" Max replied defensively.

"'Good girl!'"

"What's wrong with that?" he asked, surprised by her outburst.

"I don't like being treated like a child!" Millie told him indignantly. "I'm not some dog you can pat and reward every time they do something right!" her voice rose higher and higher with fury.

"But you are a child!" Max yelled back, but immediately hushed his voice into an angry whisper after glancing around and getting curious looks from the passer-by pedestrians. "You are a child" he hissed.

Millie just stared in surprise. She hadn't picked Max as the angry outburst type, maybe brooding silent fury, but not this person. She didn't know to react, none of her superiors had ever shouted at her before. The last time was probably when her dad had yelled at her for leaving her makeup all over the bathroom vanity….and that was almost a decade ago. So instead, Millie just stood and allowed herself to be shouted at.

"You don't know anything" he told her, "you don't have any experience. You've only been a cop for, what, 5 years? You are all happy, bubbly smiles until it's time for the people to get hurt. You don't understand how the real world operates…" he trailed off, his voice losing its fury and instead being replaced with weariness. He sighed and turned, walking over to the concrete wall that lined the Thames's edge. He placed his hands down on the concrete and leant his weight into his hands, his shoulders hunched over as he stared down into the dark murky water.

Millie watched him leave and couldn't stop herself as she stood and warily walked over next to him.

"I'm sorry Sarge" she told him softly, she didn't know what else to say as she tried to fill the awkward silence.

Max just laughed bitterly and looked at her. "You have nothing to be sorry for".

Millie shrugged her shoulders and continued to look at him expectantly "I don't know what else to do" she confessed sheepishly.

"Stop being so innocent and happy" he instructed her firmly, grasping her upper arms and giving her a gentle shake. "You're way too smiley and bubbly, if you want to succeed in this cover, you need to become more…" he paused, looking for the right words. "You need to be more _daring_…_seductive_, show us all a different side to Millie, use that stubborn red-hair nature that's hiding somewhere in there and blow everyone away!"

Millie glanced down at Max's hands on her, surprised to see such….passion and meaning in his words, she was even more surprised to see him touching her. He immediately removed them as if reacting to touching hot coals. He looked at her apologetically and raised his eyebrows, waiting for her reaction to his advice.

"I'll see what I can do" Millie grinned.

"Good" Max nodded brusquely. "What happened to the girl who stripped off her clothes in front of me?" he asked, a sly smile appearing on his lips.

Millie couldn't help but blush at the memory, she still didn't know how she has mustered up the courage to do that.

"So how's PC Nowak?" Max enquired, turning around and leaning against the concrete wall, crossing his arms over his chest, casually glancing at the passing pedestrians.

Millie just laughed ruefully and rolled her eyes, adopting Max's stance and leaning against the concrete wall. "Oh she's loving her cover. Flashy cars and expensive dresses, she's in retail heaven. Last time we met up it was a Gucci dress, Jimmy Choo heels, a Guess purse and I swear she had just got her nails done. She's absolutely loving it, and she isn't afraid to flaunt it around either" Millie didn't bother hiding the contempt in her voice.

"Is the green-eyed monster coming out, PC Brown?" Max asked, a grin lifting the corners of his lips.

"It's Amelia North in public, _Max_" Millie tittered with a mocking tone. She wasn't afraid to add a sarcastic note to the sentence. She prepared herself for a retort from Max who looked at her with his eyes narrowed.

"Now that's the Millie I wanna see" he told her, pointing at her with a finger. "Make sure we always see that girl".

Millie just narrowed her own eyes and looked at Max, a small smile remaining on her lips.

"I better get back to it" Max finally spoke up. "I've got to get back to the station and report back to Kowalski, he seems to be taking a particular shine to you" Max stated mindlessly.

"Really?" Millie perked up, both surprised and pleased to be getting the approval of her superior, let alone one she didn't really know.

"Hmm" Max nodded, standing up and turning towards her. "Give me your phone" he instructed her, holding out his hand expectantly.

Millie didn't ask, she simply pulled out her mobile from her back pocket and handed it to Max who opened it and typed something onto the keyboard.

"Here" he snapped the phone shut and held it out to her. "I've put my number in, make sure to call me if there are any problems and make sure you've got it with you at all times. If someone gets suspicious, just say you've got a sick grandmother or something" Max instructed her expressionlessly.

Millie couldn't help but smile slightly as she nodded.

"Bye…Max" she smiled at him, she still felt weird being on first names basis, but she felt almost equal being able to speak his name to his face.

"Goodbye Amelia" he replied, acknowledging her with a small nod before turning and walking away. Millie watching his back as he retreated down the footpath and out of sight, swearing that she saw a hint of a smile as he farewelled her.

…..

Millie sighed as she entered the small office that had become her abode in the last two weeks. Dumping her bag under the table, she slumped into the chair and switched on the computer, sitting back and surveying the desk as she waited. Various papers and order forms littered the surface and folders sat in a neat pile in her IN tray. She still had to work through all those today, signing receipts and checking invoices. Over the 2 weeks, she must have gone through at least 20 thick folders and still nothing, not even a whiff of anything remotely suspicious. She was starting to understand how the bosses back at Sun Hill were feeling, returning from the hunt empty-handed.

As she sat at the computer, her hand resting on her chin, out of the corner of her eye she saw a figure enter the office, thinking it was just a worker, she ignored the man and concentrated on her work, checking the logistics of an order from France from some kind of appliance manufacturer.

"Who exactly are you?" she heard an unfamiliar voice ask, a weird foreign accent laced the voice as it spoke. She looked up and saw Konrad Adamski himself, in the flesh, standing in front of her, glowering over the desk, his face contorted with both anger and interest.

Millie immediately jumped out of her chair and stood up, backing away until she hit the filing cabinet.

"Well?" he demanded "who are you and what are you doing in my office on my computer?"

"My name is Amelia North" she replied timidly. "My brother is Henry? He organised for me to do some work here for you Mr Adamski, in the office".

Millie hoped that she had come across as innocent and scared, because that was exactly how she was feeling at the moment. She stood and waited for the man to reply. Adamski's face relaxed slightly at the mention of Henry and a wide smile appeared on his lips.

"Ahh" Konrad nodded in recognition. "I remember Henry telling me something about his sister coming to work for us here in the office. Welcome my dear!" he smiled holding out his hand to her. Millie paused for a second, taking in the total personality change but returned the shake, a small smile plastered on her face.

"How was Australia?" he asked, the accent heavy as he spoke "your brother tells me you were on a holiday over there?"

"Backpacking" Millie explained "it was lovely, very warm" she commented.

"Hmm" Adamski nodded, the smile remaining on his lips. "Well some of my…..business associates live in Thailand, they love it over there".

"_I'm sure they do" _Millie thought to herself as she maintained the polite smile "_you're paying them off with profits from gun running". _

But Millie also knew that this personal meeting with the head was going to be her way into the organisation, and what better way than to get the boss himself onside. She was going to have to take a leaf out of Max's book of advice and play her cards right.

"Well Mr Adamski" Millie started, putting on her best innocent voice, walking around the desk and walking over to him, stopping about 3 feet away. "I am so very grateful to you for allowing me to have this job, I don't know what I would be doing if you hadn't given me this opportunity, it's my fresh start".

Adamski simply grinned at her. "It is my pleasure Amelia" he told her "I just wish your brother had told me how nice and beautiful his sister was, I might not have been so…rude before".

Millie simply blushed and beamed, flattered to be getting that kind of attention from him. "It's alright Sir, why don't we call it square and start again, you seem like a wonderful man, someone who is full of seconds chances".

"You are right my dear, let's start again, everyone does deserves a second chance" he smiled and nodded. "Actually" he said "me and a couple of my…friends are going to dinner tonight, why don't you and your brother join us? I would love to learn a little more about Henry's mysterious sister".

"I would love that Mr Adamski" Millie beamed.

"Great, I'll go talk to your brother right away. I'm sure he would be delighted to show off his little sister".

Millie nodded and said her goodbye to Adamski, smiling to herself as she watching him leave. Grabbing her phone, she left the office and walked silently to the far corner of the dock wharf, where most of the men had their cigarette breaks.

Pulling out her phone, she hit the speed dial.

"Hello?" the voice answered.

"Looks like not all your advice is bad" Millie teased with a grin. "I just scored dinner with Konrad Adamski himself".

There was silence on the end of the line as Millie waited for a reply.

"Hello?" she asked, her brow creasing.

"I knew the red-head was inside you somewhere" Max laughed.

…

**Enjoy and please review! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Glad to see more people starting to read the fic. But please remember to review, they are what keeps me going, well that and my imagination :) I'd like to thank FeeBee and Lala for their continuous reading and support…keep it up! Enjoy the latest chapter. **

Chapter 7:

…

"So what happened?" Max asked, the interest evident in his tone.

"I was in the office working and he just came in, at first he thought I was some kind of intruder, but then he relaxed and we got talking a bit, he invited Henry and I for dinner tonight" Millie explained quietly, glancing around as she talked, making sure she was truly alone.

"That's good" Max commented approvingly. "This is perfect. This is your chance to get inside this whole organisation. You need to make sure you act cool and innocent, pretend you know nothing. Try and sniff out who are his closest friends, who he relies on and who are just the lost sheep following the Shepard".

Millie nodded "yes Sarge, I'll do my best".

"Where are you going?" Max asked "we might be able to get someone out to keep an eye on things".

"I'm not sure" Millie told him "Adamski was going to make the arrangements through Henry, I know nothing".

"Alright" she heard Max sigh wearily, "when you find out, text me the details, just send it to your 'mum', in case someone goes through your phone".

"Will do Sarge" she nodded.

"Remember its Max in public, someone might just be listening to you" he reminded her.

"Sorry" she mumbled, out of the corner of her eye she saw two workmen heading over with their cigarettes ready. They seemed just like two plain forklift workers, but she didn't want to take any chances.

"Alright _Max_" she said pointedly, glancing at the two men. "I don't know when I'll be getting back, I'll try and be home as soon as possible".

"Is someone there?" Max asked tensely.

"Well what do you think?" Millie replied frustratingly "I _told _you, I'm working, I'll be home as soon as possible, and no, I don't know when that will be, I'll call you later".

"Alright" Max said simply "talk soon" and with that he hung up. Millie groaned and hung up herself, slamming the phone shut. Her eyes darted towards the two men who were glancing back at her.

"That was my…" she paused momentarily "my boyfriend", plastering a fake smile on her lips "impatient as hell" she laughed nervously, rolling her eyes.

The men returned the smile momentarily before returning to their own discussion. Millie silently pocketed her phone and returned to the office. As she entered, she found Henry sitting in one of the chairs waiting for her. He glanced up at her as he heard her walk in.

"When did you get friendly with Konrad?" he asked curiously, eyebrows raised in interest.

"I guess he already told you?" she replied quietly.

"Yeah, he wants to have dinner with us _both_" Henry told her, "so how did that happen?" he asked.

"It just kinda happened" Millie shrugged her shoulders "he came in and we talked, he said he just wanted to know more about me".

"Alright….."

"Well prepare yourself for a grilling tonight" she warned him "he's gonna wanna know _everything _about our pasts. This is going to test our story".

"That's what I'm worried about" he confessed with a heavy sigh.

"It'll be alright" Millie reassured him "I've already informed my bosses, they might even send back-up".

Henry just chuckled "you're making it sound like Konrad is some dangerous criminal who might shoot up the restaurant if our stories don't match".

"He _is _a dangerous criminal" Millie told him pointedly "I don't trust him, or his intentions" she frowned.

"Ok" Henry nodded in agreement, the smile disappearing from his lips.

"So where is this dinner?" Millie asked, filling in the silence. "What do I need to wear?"

"Something fancy" Henry smiled "he's taking us to Blancharu".

Millie couldn't help but let her mouth open in amazement. Blancharu was a famous French restaurant, famous for its delicious food, amazing French wines and notorious waiting list. There were rumours that the reservation list was something like 5 weeks long. Adamski defiantly had friends in some _very _high places.

"I guess you've never been?" Henry grinned at her expression.

"Do you really think that on a copper's wage I would _ever _be able to get into that place?" She laughed.

"Fair enough" Henry nodded with a bright smile "well make sure you dress up fancy, you'll want to make a good impression on Konrad, but I think you might have already done that. He seems really interested in you, said you were 'lovely and kind'".

"Really?" Millie blushed.

"Don't get ahead of yourself" Henry laughed, "but he _did _say you could have the rest of the day off to go get ready. Dinner is at 6 by the way".

Millie simply grinned at the news. Finally, something to drag her away from the boring paperwork that was piling onto her desk. "I'll see you later" she farewelled Henry, swinging her handbag over her shoulder and pulling out her phone as she made her way to the car.

"_Sorry Mum" _she texted Smithy "_can't make dinner tonight, a friend is taking Henry and I to Blancharu. Dinner is at 6 and we will be out until late, I'll just call you tomorrow- Millie". _

She hit send and immediately pressed speed dial.

"Hello?" a female voice answered.

"Elka?" Millie asked "think you can spare one of those designers frocks for me?" she requested with a wide smile, the excitement brewing in her stomach. After all, what girl doesn't like dressing up?

…

An hour later Millie and Elka were standing in the bedroom of Elka's apartment, deciding which dress would be best for Millie to wear. It had come down to a black one shouldered maxi dress and a short emerald green strapless that had a gathered waist. The pair stood silently staring at the two, trying to decide which would look better on Millie.

"I don't know" Millie sighed angrily, throwing her hands up into the air. "They are both gorgeous".

"Hmm" Elka said with a frown "that's the problem, you want to look stunning, but it needs to suit your personally, you know- shy and innocent".

Millie nodded in agreement. "We need to decide!" she whined "it's nearly 5 and Henry will be here at 5:30 to pick me up".

Suddenly her phone lit up and started to vibrate.

"Hello" she answered, mindlessly picking up the black dress and holding in front of her existing clothes, she cocked her head and glanced over the dress.

"It's me" Max told her.

"Sarge" Millie's head perked up. "What's up?" she asked, glancing at Elka.

She heard Max laugh gently. "Just letting you know that Grace and I will be at the restaurant tonight, just to keep an eye on things".

Millie couldn't help but smile at the mental image of Grace and Max sitting together, pretending to eat…..talk about cutting the tension with a knife…

"Millie?" Max asked, she could sense the scowl through his tone.

"Sorry Sarge" Millie apologised "we are just having some problems".

"What now?" he sighed wearily "not _drunk_ again are you? I hope PC Nowak hasn't decided that you need something to calm the nerves or whatever".

"No" Millie exclaimed with mock offence. "Elka and I just can't decide on which dress I should wear. It's come down to a short green dress or a long black one. I think we need a male perspective. We are going for nice, but…conservative".

There was a pause as Max weighed up the options.

"Green" he told her blankly "it will suit your hair".

"Thank Sarge" she smiled "didn't think you were one to be giving fashion advice" she laughed.

"One of my hidden talents" Max replied, sarcasm dripping from his every word.

"Good to know" Millie nodded with a small laugh, the wide smile still on her lips.

"Well we'll see you at the club tonight, don't look at us, just pretend we aren't even there. Focus on Adamski, try and get whatever you can about the organisation and his work".

"You got it" Millie nodded again. "Bye Sarge" and with that she hung up, grabbed the green dress and entered the bathroom.

When she came out, she found Elka lying on her back on the bed, going through her phone.

"So" Millie asked apprehensively "What do you think?"

Elka glanced up and immediately a wide smile grew on her lips. "You look….amazing!"

"Really?" Millie asked, her eyebrow rising as she looked down, using her hands to smooth some creases in the skirt of the short dress.

"You're going to blow them all away" Elka exclaimed, "I'm so proud of my creation" she said, pretending to wipe an imaginary tear from her eye.

Millie just laughed and gave Elka a small playful nudge. "C'mon!" she whined "you've gotta do my makeup".

"Hmm" Elka tilted her head to the side, glancing at Millie's ginger hair. "don't worry babe, when I'm through, you're going to look absolutely mind-blowing, I'm going to leave Adamski and all his little goons totally breathless".

Millie just grinned. "Well then, you better work your magic".

…

Max sighed as he entered the restaurant with Grace by his side. He quickly scanned the restaurant. It was only 6 and the place was already packed. Diners sat at almost every table, eating and conversing amongst themselves.

"Can I help you sir?" a man in a smart black suit asked him.

"Booking for Carter?" Max told him blankly. The man quickly scanned the list and nodded when he found the name on his long list of name. Max couldn't help but notice a small red dot next to the name 'Adamski'.

"This way Sir", the man lead Max and Grace through the restaurant to a booth on the far right side of the room.

The pair were handed menu which they quickly scanned mindlessly, before returning their eyes to the room.

"Looks like Adamski and his guests haven't arrived yet" Grace commented dryly. She too wasn't very happy with the idea of having to spend a whole night sitting at a table with Max, pretending to actually be interested in him. But then again, they had managed to scam this free meal out of one of DI Kowalski's informants, so it was some kind of consolation, being able to dine on gourmet French food, even _if _it was with Max.

"Hmm" Max nodded in agreement, a tiny pang of…..unease hitting him in the stomach. "I'm sure they will turn up". Max looked down at the leather bound menu, many of the words written in French. As he frowned at the menu, trying to figure out what the words meant, he heard Grace gasp softly.

"What is it?" he asked curiously, raising his head quickly and look at her. Grace had her mouth gaped open, with her hand covering it.

"She looks…so different…so beautiful" Grace whispered, her eyes looking in the other direction. Max followed her line of sight and couldn't help but gap his mouth with surprise.

There she was. She stood awkwardly in the doorway, her nerves radiating across the room. But she looked amazing. Max smiled slightly at the fact that she had taken his advice and gone for the green strapless. It was a deep emerald green and ended mid-thigh. The bodice at the top hugged her torso perfectly, accentuating her natural curves and the bottom skirt of the dress draped flawlessly, highlighting her long pale legs. Her ginger hair was out, with slight natural waves, framing her face and flowing out below her shoulder. She wore simple long silver earrings and plain black pumps. She clung onto a black clutch bag as she too, scanned the room anxiously. But Max was beside himself, Millie looked…..breathtaking.

"Who are those people with her?" Grace's question snapped Max out of his thoughts as he noticed the group of men surrounding Millie. Now he knew why she was so nervous, a single women being crowded by a heap of men, let alone the fact that they were probably all criminals would be enough to make anyone worried. But Millie seemed to be taking it all her stride, smiling at the group and from what Max could see, making small talk with those standing closest to her.

Max couldn't help but frown as he noticed Konrad Adamski himself, walk up to her and greet her with a kiss on _both _cheeks. Millie simply smiled politely at him and allowed herself to be lead over to a nearby table. Adamski ensured that she was seated next to him, with Henry by Millie's side. Max still didn't completely trust Henry, even though Millie seemed to. '_Once a crim, always a crim' _he thought to himself.

"Ready to order?" a waiter dressed in a suit asked, bringing Max out of his thoughts once again.

As Max and Grace ordered their food, Millie couldn't help but glance quickly toward the two CID officers across the room. They weren't looking at the moment, but Millie swore she had felt their eyes, _especially_ Max's on her the entire time as she had entered with Henry and Adamski's men.

Everyone was being extremely polite towards her, maybe because they all knew that Millie was Adamski's special guest, but Millie couldn't help but welcome their small talk and friendliness. It made her feel more at ease.

"Amelia" Adamski sat her down next to him and placed one hand gently on her forearm. Millie allowed the gesture, even though feeling slightly uncomfortable with him at such close proximity. "I hope you don't mind us bringing you to such a big place, you must be feeling a little overwhelmed" he smiled.

Millie couldn't help but return the smile "No, its fine Mr Adamski, I've never been here before yes, but I am still very grateful that you would invite me out, but I will warn you, I'm not as interesting as you might think" she laughed gently.

"Oh well I hope I can prove you wrong, plus now that you are working for me, doing such important business, I thought that I must welcome you to our little family" he explained, glancing towards his other men. Millie couldn't help but feel excitement building in her stomach. Was this some kind of initiation? Was Adamski welcoming her into his underworld? She plastered a grateful smile on her lips and took a nervous sip of water from her glass.

"The boys and I were just discussing how beautiful you look tonight" Adamski complimented her, placing his arm on the back of her chair.

"Oh thank you" Millie blushed, looking down and running the silk material through her fingers. "I lent it from a good friend of mine….I would never be able to afford something this amazing" Millie explained with a rueful smile.

"Well that's something we are going to need to fix" Adamski told her, looking around at his men again. They all just nodded and murmured in agreement. Max had told her to look out for the sheep following the Shepard, and Millie was starting to think they were all sheep.

"Say, Millie" Adamski looked down at her with a smile. "How would you like to do something else? Do you really want to be working in an office for the rest of your life?" he asked her expectantly.

Millie couldn't help but feel dread setting into her stomach. She had her hopes up for a promotion, but instead she was getting sacked. She felt her fake smile falter as she glanced back at Adamski.

"I'm sorry Mr Adamski" she told him sadly "but what have I done to get sacked?" she pleaded.

Millie was shocked to see the men around her erupt into laughter. She glanced around, completely confused at their reaction. Were they truly this cruel? To bring her to a fancy restaurant and then sack her almost immediately?

"You're not getting fired my dear" Adamski told her, the laughter still in his voice as he talked.

"I'm not?"

"No" he reassured her "I want you to work for me, but just in a different job, one with more….stature. I promise the pay is a lot better" he chortled.

"What kind of job?" she asked curiously.

"See, part of my business includes importing and exporting particular….._goods_ which I then send on to particular…._clients_" he explained, Millie could feel he was choosing his words rather carefully.

"So what is my part in all this?" she inquired. "What do I need to do?" she asked, raising her eyebrow in interest, a playful smile appearing on her lips.

"Are you interested my dear?" Adamski asked, his own eyebrow rising, sensing the change in her attitude..

"It's a mean old world out there" she tilted her head behind her. "It's every woman for herself, and I intend to get as far ahead as I can".

"I like the way you think young lady" he grinned, pointing his finger at her. "I think you would be the perfect addition to our team, what do you say boys?"

There was a cheer in agreement and Millie couldn't help but laugh, she had done it, tricked them all into believing she was someone that she wasn't. She felt the excitement building, she liked this new girl, she was a new Millie, loving the power and attention she was getting.

"Let's get some champagne and celebrate" Adamski told her, motioning to a nearby waiter. "We need to make sure our new girl is made to feel welcome".

"So what will I be doing Mr Adamski?" Millie probed, leaning slightly towards Adamski, putting on her best seductive look. "I think I need to know" she giggled.

"There is plenty of time for that tomorrow" Adamski replied, patting her upper arm gently. "For now, we celebrate. Oh and from now on its Konrad, none of that 'Mr' stuff".

Millie just nodded and took a long sip from her champagne flute.

_Let the good times roll _she smiled to herself, downing the last of the alcohol and filling up the flute again.

…..

"What do you think's happened over there?" Grace asked with a small smile, tilting her head discreetly towards where Millie was sitting.

"I'd love to know" Max frowned. He looked on as Millie laughed, Adamski put his hand on her arm and Millie moved in closer. He didn't know what was wrong with him, he felt a lump rise in his throat as he watched on.

"Well Millie has certainly got them onside" Grace commented. "They seem to be having a great time, I think that's the third bottle of champagne Adamski's ordered" she added with a wry smile.

Max didn't reply, he continued to stare. He couldn't take his eyes away from Millie as she seemed to schmooze the group. Max also noticed that she seemed to be enjoy the champagne, downing flute after flute of the bubbly gold. He couldn't help but noticed a shift in her attitude. Gone was the nice smiley naïve girl, she was replaced with a woman, a woman who wasn't afraid to put herself out there, she was daring, outgoing and dare Max admit it? Seductive? He observed her body language, her small subtle signals, her body curved forward, her arm placed gently on Adamski's, the bright enticing smile pasted on her lips. She was putting on the "good, innocent" act but she knew she had the upper hand on his situation. Millie had them all eating straight out of her hand, Adamski himself seemed _enthralled_ by what she was saying.

"Max" Grace hissed out of the corner of her mouth.

"What?" he frowned, turning to her.

"Stop staring" she told him. "you're glaring so hard, you might as well have a sign on your forehead- I'm a police officer" she smiled.

Max didn't reply, the frown remained on his face as he took one last glance towards Millie before returning to the plate of food in front of him.

….

Millie sighed as she walked down the street, the cool breeze of the night brushing her exposed legs. She could help but shiver slightly as she continued to walk, Henry by her side. After about 5 bottles of champagne and a 3 course feast, Adamski and his men bid goodbye to Millie and Henry. So here they were, walking home, the silence hanging awkwardly in the air. But Millie was a little too drunk and excited to strike up a conversation. Adamski, or Konrad now, had offered her to join the inner circles of their organisation and Millie couldn't wait. This was going to be her chance to finally get deep into the ring. The whole taskforce Acer was relying on the undercover work that Millie and the others produced, and Millie knew that her new role was going to be crucial.

But her mind couldn't help but wander back to the restaurant. She had felt Max's eyes on her the entire time. It made her smile at the fact that she had only mustered the courage to be so _friendly _with Konrad because she knew that that Max was looking. She didn't know exactly what had made her act that way, but deep down, she had enjoyed the attention she got from the males in the room, Max, Konrad, his men, even Henry. She couldn't help but smile to herself, she had the whole lot of them eating out of the palm of her hand, and she had loved every second of it.

"What are you so happy about?" Henry asked with a smile, interrupting Millie's thoughts.

"It was a good night" Millie replied, a small playful grin playing on her lips.

"You could say that" Henry laughed, "everyone adored you!".

Millie didn't reply, she just blushed and smiled gently, mindlessly playing with the soft fabric of her dress.

"You _did _look fantastic by the way" Henry commented, indicating to the dress, the kind smile still on his lips. He took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, taking a long drag from the end.

"Thanks" Millie told him genuinely.

"I think that Konrad and his men were completely taken aback" he said with a sly smile "They never would've guessed that the little ginger from the office could be so sexy and mesmerizing. I saw that even Konrad couldn't talk his eyes off you.

"That was kinda the point" Millie laughed, sliding her arm under Henry's elbow and linking arms with him.

Henry just laughed and placed his hand on top of hers. "You've done it" he told her with a bright smile.

"What?"

"Got in" Henry explained. "I could tell from Konrad's voice. You're in" he nodded.

"Are you sure?" Millie asked, the determination evident in her tone.

"Completely" Henry confirmed with another nod. "Konrad pulled me aside when you went to the bathroom. On Monday, I am supposed to show you the files for a new shipment of cocaine we are expecting from Romania. You're going to be in charge of making sure the order and all the logistics are ok".

"I didn't know that Konrad ran drugs too" Millie frowned. "Our Intel was that it was weapons only".

Henry shrugged "we deal with drugs on occasion, it's usually a favour for a _client. _They sort out drugs for us and Konrad hooks them up with guns to protect their business. Win win for everyone. "

Millie remained silent, taking in the new information. She would have to let DI Kowalski know straight away. Drug running a whole new chapter that the taskforce would have to deal with. If Konrad was buying drugs from over the border, it would mean a network of suppliers and dealers.

"So what is your part in this shipment?" Millie asked curiously, her mind still reeling from the new information.

"Me and another guy, Hugo are going to be the drivers, delivering the drug shipment from the docks to one of Konrad's warehouses".

"Hmm" Millie replied thoughtfully.

"You're going to have to let _them _know aren't you?" Henry asked anxiously.

"Yeah" Millie sighed "this is major news, it's going to change our entire operation".

"I am happy to help" Henry told her with a small smile "but if it gets out, I never said anything!" he added sternly.

"No" Millie shook her head "I understand. Thank you so much Henry".

"C'mon" he sighed, breaking their linked arms "I think I might hail a cab, it's way too far to walk home. I bet your feet are killing you in those heels" he smiled.

"You have no idea" Millie rolled her eyes and laughed.

Henry walked a few steps forward and tried to hail a cab as Millie sat and waited on a nearby brick wall. She suddenly felt her clutch vibrate as her phone lit up, signally a text message.

_Hope you had a great night, heard that you had them hanging on your every word. Call me tomorrow, we have a lot to discuss. Good night – Max. PS I bet you looked stunning_

Millie couldn't help but grin as she re-read the text. She smiled at the subtle compliment that Max had added into the message.

"Millie!" Henry shouted, waving his arm as he stood in the doorway of the waiting cab. Millie stood up and quickly walked over, climbing inside the cab after him. She still had her phone opened at the text message.

_Thanks :) I had a fantastic night. So much to tell you about, but I am completely knackered, talk first thing tomorrow morning- Millie _

And with that, Millie pressed send and shut her phone closed, smiling to herself as she looked out the cab window, watching London go by.

**I promise to update soon :) please review **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Millie woke up with a start. The piercing sound of her mobile ringing gave her a rude awakening. Sticking her hand out from under the covers, she fumbled around the bedside table, feeling for her mobile. Finally grabbing it, she brought it to her ear.

"Hello?" she mumbled, closing her eyes and resting her head back on the soft pillow.

"Millie, it's me" Max told her briskly.

"Oh hi Sarge" she smiled weakly, her head remaining glued to the pillow.

"You alright?" he asked, Millie swore she heard a smirk appearing in the question.

"Yep" Millie answered with a small nod. "Just a little worn-out, a tad too much champagne last night".

"Please don't tell me we need to have the alcohol talk again" Max sighed, a mocking tone in his voice.

Millie laughed gently, snuggling closer into the pillow. "Give me two painkillers for the headache and a strong coffee for the hangover and I'm right as rain" she told him sleepily.

"Well first we need to get you out of bed" Max replied pointedly.

"Hmm" Millie nodded "five more minutes!" she whined.

Max just laughed softly. "No time for that. We've got to de-brief over last night and then you're going back to the docks, we need more dirt on Adamski and word is, you're his new BFF".

Millie smiled at the memory of last night with Konrad. Max was right, she was now in the top ranks of the organisation, Konrad has entrusted her with all the intimate details of a upcoming drug shipment.

"De-brief?" Millie mumbled "what time is it?" she asked with a small frown.

"9:15" Max sighed.

"How about over breakfast?" Millie suggested "I told you that I need a strong coffee and I am starving- my shout?" she smiled.

"Alright" Max agreed "Balino Café ? Half an hour?"

"See you then" Millie smiled and hung up. Sighing, she threw back the covers of her bed and slowly climbed out. Stretching out and yawning, she tied up her ginger hair as she walked across the hall to the bathroom. She took one glance at herself in the mirror and couldn't help but burst out in laughter. She eyeliner and mascara had smudged down all over her face during the night and her ginger hair was so frizzy and wild, it looked like it hadn't been brushed in _weeks_. Millie's memory of returning to Henry's apartment was fuzzy, and she evidently had only managed to take off the dress and shoes as she stood in her black matching underwear.

"You really need to get off the juice Amelia" she grinned to her reflection.

….

Max sat tensely at an outdoor table, glancing subtly around for Millie. Taking a long sip of his already ordered coffee, he spotted her on the other side of the road. Today, she was sporting long skinny denim jeans, a plain white tee and a bright red cardigan, contrasting with her ginger hair perfectly. She took one look at him and a smile appeared on her lips. She walked confidently up to him and sat down on a chair opposite him.

"Max" she nodded, the bright smile remaining on her lips.

"Millie" he replied, his voice blank as she watched her plant her handbag between her legs.

"So….de-brief" she started, glancing at him expectantly, resting her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands.

"Alright" Max nodded "tell me what happened last night".

Millie just grinned and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "It was certainly….an informative night".

"What?" Max raised his eyebrows.

Millie leaned in a little closer, grabbing a packet of sugar and playing with it mindlessly. "Konrad is getting a large shipment of coke early this week, from Romania. I'm in charge of over-seeing the arrival and delivery.

Max's eyes just widened slightly, a sly smile forming on his lips.

"That is…..fantastic!"

"Knew you would want to hear it" she smiled contentedly, sitting back in her chair. A waitress came over to their table and glanced at Millie.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked blankly, pulling out her order pad.

"Just a black coffee with 2 sugars" Millie replied with a polite smile.

"Isn't that a little strong for the morning?" Max asked with a raised eyebrow as the waitress walked away.

"Hangover cure" Millie shrugged. "Works every time" she grinned.

Max just nodded simply as he watched her with his eyes narrowed.

"What?" she asked with a frown, staring back at him.

"What did Konrad say to you last night? You lot seemed to having a lot of…..fun".

"Were you spying on us _Max?"_ she asked with a mischievous smile.

"That was kind of the point _Amelia_" he returned her tone, adding a sarcastic note to her name. "Grace and I were there to keep an eye on things, I don't usually spend my time in restaurants where the main course alone costs £90, even if it _is _paid for by someone else. I actually have a life"

Millie couldn't help but stifle a scoff. Instead, she just bowed her head slightly and started fiddling with her nails.

"Well?" he demanded "what happened with him?".

Millie opened her mouth to speak just as the waitress came back and set Millie's coffee down in front of her.

"Thank you" Millie mumbled to the girl.

"You already know most of it" Millie sighed, taking the spoon and mindlessly stirring her coffee. "He offered me a job that had higher _'stature'" _Millie told him, using her fingers to make the inverted commas in the air. "He wouldn't tell me much, but he said that the job had a better pay and that we would become 'closer friends'. When we were walking home last night, Henry told me that Konrad had mentioned that I would be put in charge of ensuring that a drug shipment arrived safely to Konrad's warehouse".

"So Adamski does drugs now?" Max said wearily. "Bloody hell" shaking his head in disbelief.

Millie gave a sympathetic smile "Yeah, I knew that would be your reaction. Henry told me that its only sometimes, he does deals with suppliers, drugs for guns".

Max nodded. "Well that means that the whole operation will need to be expanded, now we need to investigate the drugs" Max sighed, running his hand through his hand.

"I'll see if I can get any more info out of Konrad" Millie offered, taking a long sip of her coffee.

"Yes" Max nodded in agreement, glancing up at Millie. "I'll talk to the DI, maybe we can set up a sting operation and catch the drugs. What do you know about them?" Max asked, determination evident in his voice.

"Just that they are coming from Romania" Millie explained "they are arriving at the docks sometime this week and Henry and another guy, Hugo are going to be driving them to one of Konrad's warehouses".

"Alright", Max nodded "sounds good, we can probably set something up. See if you can find out _where _this warehouse is, oh and try and get the exact date of the shipment's arrival."

"Will do" Millie nodded in agreement, taking another sip of her coffee, wincing slightly as it slid down her throat.

"Too strong?" Max smiled knowingly.

"Yes" Millie nodded meekly "but it works, the headache is going away".

"Whatever floats your boat" Max mumbled, glancing around the café at the other patrons. Millie couldn't help but smile slightly at his comment.

"Anything new with Elka?" Millie asked casually, looking for a new topic of conversation.

"She's been reporting to Stuart- he is her handler. I've heard that everything on her end is alright- but she hasn't been able to get much information from Pawel Ostrowski, he isn't too keen to talk".

"Thought so" Millie scoffed "I don't think a pretty boy like him wants to give up the wads of corrupt cash that he is being fed- God knows what will happen if he isn't able to straighten his hair!" she covered her mouth with mock shock.

"Didn't pick you to be so cynical Millie" Max smiled.

"Guess there is lot you don't know about me" Millie shrugged, stirring her coffee before taking the spoon and licking it.

Max narrowed his eyes as he watched her. She was right, even though he saw her every day at the station, and now they were working even closer together, there was plenty that he did not know about the pretty ginger-haired PC. He knew her character and how she worked on cases, but the personal details were still a mystery to him. Millie was someone who intrigued him, she would act all naïve and cutesy and then turn around and be completely spontaneous and exciting. He didn't entirely know what to make of her. Max admired the way that she was conducting herself in the operation so far, she was making all the right choices and getting all the right information. Something that was crucial in an undercover operation this large.

"Anything else I should know?" Max asked curiously.

"Well still nothing on the weapons front" Millie shrugged, placing the spoon down on the table "I guess we are focusing on the drugs now?" she asked.

"Hmm" Max nodded, taking a sip of his own coffee, "at least we now have something we can charge him with".

Millie just gave a tight smile as her phone started to beep. She opened it and found a new message.

"Adamski?" Max asked keenly.

"Yeah" Millie nodded. " _meet me at the office now " _she recited.

"You better get to it" Max told her with a blank expression. "We'll talk later".

"Bye" she said quickly and stood up, gathered her handbag and crossed the road, making her way to her car.

….

Millie felt the butterflies in her stomach as she approached the tiny office at the docks. As she approached, she saw Konrad, Henry and a couple of other goons standing around, talking intimately.

"…nie dotykaj jej, ona jest moja" she heard Konrad growl to another blonde man. She assumed the foreign language was Polish and whatever he was saying was serious, the glare he had pasted on his face was enough to make Millie herself shiver. However the man just returned a glare as scary, he didn't seem very afraid of Konrad.

She entered the office uncertainly, knocking gently on the door as she walked inside. Putting on a polite smile, she glanced at Konrad.

"Sorry to interrupt" she apologised tentatively.

Konrad's serious scowl relaxed slightly and he returned a small smile. "Amelia!" he welcomed her. "Come in, these are my associates. We were just the middle of meeting".

"I can come back" Millie offered, indicating to the door, a place that she wanted to be. The middle of a tense stand-off between a crime lord and his friends was the not the ideal position to be in.

"Don't be silly, I told you to come, I am not going to throw you out" he laughed, walking up to her and guiding her further into the office. Millie sighed quietly and allowed herself to be seated in the armchair next to the desk. Konrad walked around and sat down as well, smiling as he looked at Millie. "You're probably wondering why I told you to come down here?"

"Yes" Millie replied with a nervous smile. "I guess it has got to do with last night?"

"It does" he nodded "I hope that you had a good time last night?"

"The best".

"Glad to hear it" Konrad nodded again. "Now last night, we also discussed a new position for you. Are you still up to it? I don't want you to feel like you are being pressured, or that the alcohol was talking last night" he told her, a firm and serious tone in his voice as he spoke to her.

"No" Millie shook her head "I want to move up in the world, like you said, I don't want to be stuck as a lowly office clerk for the rest of my life, a girl has gotta look after herself".

Konrad grinned and nodded "that's good Millie, I am glad we are on the same page".

"Great minds think alike" she laughed uneasily.

Konrad just chuckled and nodded again. "Now, you might have heard some rumours, but like I told you, me and my associates deal with specific clients, working to satisfy their wants".

"And what are their wants?" Millie asked, raising her eyebrow.

"I'm going to give it to you in black and white Millie- its drugs".

Millie just allowed her mouth to gap open in fake surprise. She knew that she had to pretend like it was the first time she was hearing about this. But she closed her mouth and regained her posture, sitting up straighter and nodding.

"Ok- drugs, I can deal with that".

"Determination and nerves of steel, that's something that I like to see in my workers _and_ friends" he smiled somewhat coldly, Millie couldn't help but avert her eyes as she glanced at him. As they were getting more and more serious with her, Millie couldn't help but feel less and less comfortable being surrounded with so many dangerous men. She was starting to feel somewhat isolated, this case was taking a huge toll on her emotional wellbeing.

"Are you alright Mills?" Henry interrupted her troubled thoughts. Millie glanced at him and saw he had a concerned look on his face as he spoke.

"Yeah I'm fine" Millie replied softly "I guess this is just a lot to take in" she added, trying to sound as convincing as she could. She didn't want anyone to think that she had cold feet. That was the last thing she needed- to have her cover ruined, and in turn, the entire undercover case ruined too. No, she just needed to grit her teeth and get over herself. This was a massive opportunity, and she needed to put 110% into it.

"In fact" she turned toward Konrad with a grin "I am more than fine, I'm fantastic. Now let's go and get ourselves a shipment, we've got work to do!"

Konrad simply beamed at her, he seemed to be quite happy with her performance to far so he simply nodded in agreement and started ordering some of the other men around. Millie let the smile drop and she simply stood frozen as she allowed the room to move around her.

"Don't be nervous" she heard Henry whisper gently into her ear. Millie turned and came face to face with Henry who simply smiled reassuringly at her. He reached over and took one of her limp hands, giving it a small squeeze and Millie couldn't help but smile again. Now she knew, she wasn't alone. She had Henry, and he was going to be there to protect her, she felt like she could trust him with her life.

"I'm here for you" he told her, confirming her thoughts. Millie couldn't help herself, she thrust herself forward and wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug.

"I don't know what I would do without you" she sighed, still holding onto him. Right now, he was her safe haven. In this world, a place of criminals and danger, it relieved her to know that she had someone who she could entirely trust.

"I hate to break up the family moment" Konrad frowned, walking up to the pair. "But Henry, you need to brief Millie here on our procedures when it comes to incoming shipments, make sure she is fully prepped for the delivery tomorrow".

"You got it Konrad" Henry nodded, watching his boss retreat back to the other men.

Millie grabbed the sleeve of Henry's shirt and dragged him to the edge of the room. "The shipment arrives tomorrow!" she exclaimed in a whisper. "Why didn't you tell me? You know that I have to pass all this on!"

"I'm sorry" Henry shrugged sheepishly "I swear that I only found out like 20 minutes before you arrived".

"Alright" Millie nodded slowly "you're forgiven" she grinned.

"Thank God" Henry rolled his eyes and placed a hand over his heart mockingly.

Millie just laughed and gave him a playful slap on the arm.

"Here" Henry passed her a folder full of papers, a serious tone appearing in his voice. "This is all the info you about the shipment you will need, the container serial number, the route and address we will be using when we make the drop-off and all the other details _they _might need", Henry explained, not bothering to hide the sarcastic note when he mentioned Millie's bosses.

"Thank you so much" Millie told him gratefully, taking the large folder and clutching it to her chest. "You don't know how much this means to me, you are amazing".

"I'm happy to help you Millie" Henry replied sincerely, Millie swore that she saw a glint of sadness and regret in his eyes as she spoke. She knew that this was hard for him- at the end of the day, Konrad had been a close friend…

Suddenly Millie's mobile lit up, bringing out of her thoughts.

"_We need to meet ASAP…..Wilson Park….15 mins- Max". _

Millie groaned softly as she read the message that appeared on her screen.

"I better get going" Millie muttered.

"Bosses giving you grief?" Henry smiled knowingly.

"You have _no _idea" Millie rolled her eyes, pocketing her mobile. She gave Henry one last smile and patted his gently on the arm. She approached Konrad and said her goodbyes, promising to go over the files and being prepared for the delivery the next day. Konrad didn't seemed fazed by Millie's sudden exit, he seemed to completely trust, how could a young, polite and seemingly naïve girl like her possibly do anything against him. That was probably the beauty of Millie's personality and the cover created for her, nobody would ever suspect her of anything.

….

As Millie arrived at the park, she found Max sitting on a bench overlooking an empty football field. A quick glance around revealed to Millie a deserted setting. Max had obviously decided on a more remote and private atmosphere for this meeting.

"What did you need to talk to me about?" Millie asked, rather brusquely, she was a little annoying at being pulled out of a meeting with Adamski.

Max seemed a little surprised at her tone, raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes as he continued to stare at her. "How did the meeting go?" he asked casually, folding his arms and glancing around the park mindlessly.

"It was going great" Millie replied, sarcasm dripping on her every word "until I had to suddenly leave!"

"Did Adamski suspect anything?" he questioned, maintaining the casual but blank tone.

"No" Millie told him curtly, "we were lucky, he seemed to absorbed in his own little world today, I think he might be nervous" Millie told him, trying to copy Max's tone. She sat down on Max's bench and took in her surrounding as well.

"When would Konrad Adamski ever be nervous?" Max smirked, rolling his eyes.

"Since he's got a rather large shipment of cocaine coming in _tomorrow_" Millie answered smugly. She was enjoying having the upper hand over Max.

"_Tomorrow?"_ Max demanded, his eyes going wide with surprise. "Are you sure?"

"I can even show you all the documents if you _like_" Millie smiled.

"Right" Max fold his arms again "and how did you manage that one?" he asked, a small smile forming on his lips as she looked at her expectantly.

"Henry gave them to me- I _have _been put in charge of overseeing the logistics, I think it's pretty important that I know those sort of things".

"Alright" Max nodded "and how is _Henry _going with all of this- is he still onside?" Max didn't bother to hide the distrust and contempt that he held for Henry. He didn't trust the bloke and just got a funny feeling whenever he was mentioned.

"_Henry" _Millie replied indignantly, sensing Max's feeling towards her new confidant "is great! He is being completely amazing and understanding, even though this is incredibly hard for him, he is going out of his way to help us, he got us all of those documents" Millie responded rudely, not even bothering to hide her anger as she spoke to Max.

"Oh and he is just doing this out of the goodness of his heart?" Max asked cynically.

"Yes!" Millie exclaimed heatedly "because unlike _some _people" she added pointedly, narrowing her eyes at Max "Henry actually has a heart and cares about people, he doesn't want people like Konrad Adamski to keep being able to hurt people, he wants to put stop to it all, and he is sticking his neck out there to help us do just that!"

Millie huffed and stared at Max angrily. She stood and started to walk away. She didn't want to have to sit there anymore and listen to his stupid remarks.

But Max caught by the arm and turned her back toward him, a frown pasted on his face.

"I don't trust him Millie" Max told her gently, he held a firm grip on her hand as he searched her dark brown eyes.

"You don't trust _anyone_" Millie answered, her voice mixed with both contempt and pity as she pulled her arm free of him.

…

**Note: **_**"**__nie dotykaj jej, ona jest moja"_ : means **"**_**Don't touch her, she's mine**__"_

**Please don't forget to review. Sorry its taken me a little longer to update. Writers block -_- **


End file.
